The formation of bases of the Ukrainian national identity affirmation with the primary school children

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THE FORMATION OF BASES OF THE UKRAINIAN NATIONAL IDENTITY AFFIRMATION WITH THE PRIMARY SCHOOL CHILDREN

Svitlana Dovbenko,

Candidate of Pedagogic Sciences, Associate Professor, Department of Primary Education Pedagogy, Vasyl Stefanyk Precarpathian National University (Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine)

Abstract. Russian military invasion of Ukraine has caused life-threatening danger to over 7.5 million of Ukrainian children. As a result of the war there are 3 million children-refugees in Ukraine and over 2.2 million children are seeking shelter in other Ukraine friendly countries. Young generation needs urgent humanitarian help. Every two children of three are refugees inside or outside of Ukraine. Children who suffered from injuries, physical, sexual or psychological assaults, kidnepped children or forced to move out of the country or captives must be granted the status of children affected by hostilities and armed conflict. In the reality of martial law in Ukraine the most important aim for Ukrainian educators is to unite the efforts of teachers and communities on their way to protect children's rights and freedoms, teach the young generation, providing them with values and behaviour models they need nowadays. Under the condition of the russian-Ukrainian war, the path to the freedom and independence of Ukraine runs through the formation of the defense-oriented consciousness of the society, education of the younger generation based on the values of Ukraine-centrism, historical truth, and national dignity. The issue of affirmation of the Ukrainian national identity and the spiritual safety of the nation becomes particularly topical. This is because the development of the national culture was detrimentally affected by the long-lasting period of statelessness, restrictions, repressions, negative mythologization of the image of a Ukrainian, rewriting of history, and diminishing the role of Ukrainians in the life of the countries and empires to which they belonged. The educational process shall be in the context of new challenges based on the new historical achievements and moral values produced by the Ukrainian people within the centuries and nowadays realities which conditioned the choice of the topic of this Article. The author partially grounded the pedagogical conditions of affirmation of the bases of national identity of the primary school children, namely, through the formation of the national positive I-concept of the child (the image of I-Ukrainian). The methods of the reinforcement of the educative potential of the extra-class activity are determined through the creation and application of the person-oriented methodology of the formation of all components of the national cultural identity of the children, the ways and directions of further elaboration of this topic are defined.

Keywords: national identity, spiritual safety of the nation, defense consciousness, moral values, strategy, education, pedagogical interaction, children of war.

ФОРМУВАННЯ ЗАСАД УТВЕРДЖЕННЯ УКРАЇНСЬКОЇ НАЦІОНАЛЬНОЇ ІДЕНТИЧНОСТІ В МОЛОДШИХ ШКОЛЯРІВ

Світлана Довбенко,

кандидат педагогічних наук, доцент, доцент кафедри педагогіки початкової освіти, Прикарпатський національний університет імені Василя Стефаника (м. Івано-Франківськ, Україна)

Анотація. Російський напад на Україну створив безпосередню та зростаючу загрозу життю й добробуту 7,5 млн українських дітей. Унаслідок військових дій 3 млн дітей в Україні та понад 2,2 млн дітей у країнах, котрі приймають біженців з неї, потребують невідкладної гуманітарної допомоги. Внутрішнє й зовнішнє (за межі України) переміщення торкнулося кожних двох дітей із трьох. Особливо актуальним сьогодні постає завдання надання відповідного статусу дітям, які постраждали внаслідок воєнних дій. Це, зокрема діти, які отримали поранення, контузію, каліцтво, зазнали фізичного, сексуального, психологічного насильства, були викрадені, або незаконно вивезені за межі України, або незаконно утримувалися в полоні. Сьогодні в жорстких реаліях воєнного стану в Україні перед освітянами стоїть важливе завдання - об'єднання зусиль педагогічної та громадської спільнот на засадах взаєморозуміння, співробітництва щодо захисту прав та свобод, оволодіння дітьми універсальними цінностями та моделями поведінки, які необхідні саме в цей час. За умов російсько-української війни шлях до свободи і незалежності України лежить через формування оборонної свідомості суспільства, виховання юного покоління на основі цінностей україноцентризму, історичної правди і національної гідності. Особливо актуальною постає проблема утвердження української національної ідентичності і духовної безпеки нації. Адже на розвитку національної культури негативно позначились тривалий етап бездержавності, заборон, репресії, негативна міфологізація образу українця, переписування історії та применшення ролі українців у житті тих країн та імперій, до складу яких вони входили. Виховання має здійснюватися в контексті нових викликів на основі історичних досягнень та моральних цінностей, випрацюваних українським народом упродовж сторіч та нинішніх реалій. Авторка частково обґрунтувала педагогічні умови утвердження в молодших школярів основ національної ідентичності, зокрема через формування національної позитивної Я-концепції дитини (образ Я-українця). Визначено напрями посилення виховного потенціалу позакласної діяльності через створення і використання особистісно орієнтованої методики формування в дітей усіх компонентів національно-культурної ідентичності.

Ключові слова: національна ідентичність, духовна безпека нації, оборонна свідомість, моральні цінності, стратегія, виховання, педагогічна взаємодія, діти війни.

INTRODUCTION

The problem formulation. During the period of the full-scale invasive war which the Russian federation started against Ukraine, the urgency appears to reconsider what is done and take a complex of systemic actions aimed at the reinforcement of the national and patriotic education, formation of a new Ukrainian living and acting following the national and human values. Under the modern conditions of martial law when new challenges and threats appeared, a task arises to determine a new strategy of education of the young generation as a multi-component and multifaceted system to a great extent shaping the future development of the Ukrainian statehood. In connection with this, it becomes necessary for the teachers to find the best ways and methods for the organization of the educational processes at the primary school oriented towards the children's mastering the universal values and behavioral patterns constituting the basis of the world culture.

At the same time, urgency appears to form the age-specific understanding of war by the primary school children which brings the sufferings and destructions, death, and horror of disabilities, is accompanied by the poignant air alarm, tears, and sorrow of their family. Therefore, in the education of future teachers of primary school, the necessary methods of patriotic, i.e. optimistic, life-affirming world perception and understanding by the primary school children necessary in the teaching activity shall be taken into consideration.

The main components of patriotic education include the process of the affirmation of the national identity of youth based on the spiritual and moral values of the Ukrainian people, national identity.

Analysis of recent research and publications. The issue of the patriotic education of children and youth, the affirmation of their Ukrainian, national, and civil identity has recently been actively studied by the national teachers, sociologists, and philosophers, as a key in the educational paradigm of person-oriented education, in particular, in the light of the requirements of the New Ukrainian School and under the conditions of the martial law by the Order of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine dated 06/06/2022 No. 527 the Steps of realization of the concept of the national and patriotic education in the educational System of Ukraine by 2025 were approved. The enactment of the Law of Ukraine “On the Fundamentals of the State Policy in the Sphere of Affirmation of the Ukrainian National and Civic Identity” is expected. The cycle of recommendations of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine: “On provision of the psychological support of the school community under the martial law in Ukraine”, “On the preventive measures among the children and youth under the martial law in Ukraine”, the Telegram-channels were created “Support a child”, with the recommendations on how to live through grief and losses and overcome the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disturbance, etc. These operative acts, documents, and materials became the resources for the publications, new by form and content, of the leading Ukrainian scholars I. Bekh, V. Kremen, V. Bakhrushyn, Ye. Holovakha, K. Zhurba (Draft Law, No.6341-1). A new terminology - Ukrainian tenacity, defense consciousness, national identity, martial law, curfew time, safe educational environment, etc. is actively put in circulation.

THE AIM AND RESEARCH TASKS

The purpose of the article is to analyze the problem of the emotional intelligence formation of modern youth through the prism of Vasyl Stefanyk's creative heritage.

The Objective of the Article is the analysis of the processes of formation and affirmation of the Ukrainian national identity of the primary school children, and acknowledgment of the key indicators of the efficiency of realization of the state education policy in the sphere of national patriotic education.

RESULTS OF THE RESEARCH

Ukrainian national identity means a stable awareness of belonging to the Ukrainian nation as a unique community, unified by the name, symbols, geographical and ethno-social origin, historical memory, and complex of cultural values, including the Ukrainian language and national traditions. Therefore, the formation of the national identity of, first of all, children and teenagers becomes an issue of national importance and national security with regard to the ultimate causes of the Russian and Ukrainian war which has become partially possible because of the marginal attitudes and national ambiguity of a certain part of the population from the South and East of Ukraine.

The scholars, according to the results of the opinion surveys monitored and repeatedly warned society and public authorities of the presence of several threatening factors:

• a feeling of “a citizen of Ukraine” as a dominating identifier in all regions was the highest in the West - 72 percent, in the Center - 66, in the South (without Crimea) - 62, and in the East (without the occupied territories) - 51 percent. At the same time, according to the results of the opinion survey of the Sociological Group Rating in 2019 - 14 percent in the South and East identified themselves as a Soviet person.

• threatening is the situation with the usage of the Ukrainian language in the family (parents, grandparents, siblings), which is spoken by less than half of the Ukrainian population - 46 percent, while each fourth person speaks Russian. The tremendous gap is in the regional distribution - in the West Ukrainian language in the family is used by 92.2 percent of the respondents, in Donbas - 0 percent. These are the results of the all- Ukrainian opinion survey of Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) from February 28 to March 11, 2019.

• low level of understanding of the values of the national symbols and level of their worshiping. The national symbols cause a feeling of pride only for 25.7 percent of the Ukrainian population, and the Independence Day of Ukraine for 23 percent is just a day off, 4 percent consider this day a historical mistake. The nationwide opinion survey of the Ukrainian population was carried out by the Foundation “Democratic Initiatives” named after Ilko Kucheriv in cooperation with the Kyiv National Institute of Sociology from 8 to 20 August 2019 (Information from the Order of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine dated October 09, 2020. No.1233 р).

One of the most recognized researchers of this issue, K. Zhurba, puts into circulation a scientific term: “spiritual safety of Nation” which is new today. In the formation of the spiritual safety of a nation, she outlines two key factors: internal and external. The key internal factor of the spiritual safety of the nation is a national self-identification reflected in the feelings - values - “I am Ukrainian! - “We are Ukrainians”. The essence of these feelings -values is in the efficient affiliation of a person with their nation, or family, in the widest meaning of this word. From the very childhood, a person shall take up a historical torch of the highest spiritual heritage of a nation, live and act on their bases and augment these values considering the modern challenges. The low level of this factor, when the feeling of a unified social community causes low consolidation of the society has been observed for a long time (Zhurba, 2019, p. 93-94).

The external factors, according to K. Zhurba, include the following:

The ideological factor aimed at the protection of the citizens of Ukraine, in particular, the children and teenagers, against the impact of ideologies of the other unfriendly states, first of all, of the russian federation, interested in the formation of the communities of their proponents and shaking loose the political situation in Ukraine from inside. Therefore, nowadays it is urgently important to assign the Ukrainian ideology its own essence, potential, history, heroes of the past, and modern heroes of the war for independence, reconsider the existing experience and determine the new tasks for further development.

The religious factor today is a powerful resource for impacting the Ukrainian youth looking for moral and ethical values. In this context, the so-called Ukrainian Orthodox Church which is canonically and spiritually dependent upon the moscow patriarchy, and, further, through the sermon, Cross Processions and word of God propagates the values of the russian world, stimulates the separatist attitudes, and disrespect to the national identity. The Orthodox Church of Ukraine is an active antagonist of this, and nowadays is very pro-nation oriented and in every possible way supports the heroic struggle against the aggressor.

The consciousness manipulation is actively realized through the mass media and social networks, etc., quite popular in the youth environment. Therefore, for the spiritual safety of the Ukrainian citizens, the fakes and false information from the enemy should be consistently revealed, opposed by the stable framework of profound moral and spiritual values and ability to protect our cultural heritage.

The affirmation of the Ukrainian national identity is based on the major socio-national values. They are determined as follows by Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine:

1) National Unity is solidarity, indivisibility of all territories of Ukraine, spiritual unity of the Ukrainian people living in Ukraine, unity of all Ukrainian people, regardless of their nationality, aimed at the affirmation of real sovereignty and independence of Ukraine, the building of a prosperous democratic national state;

2) Identity means national identity, uniqueness, and originality manifested by a person or a group of persons in mentally conditioned artistic world perception, indigenous communication methods, activity, and behavior. The identity of the Ukrainian people is determined by their history, culture, traditions, and Ukrainian language;

3) Freedom means the ability, intention, and controlled attempt to reach a goal. The freedom of the Ukrainian people is manifested in the heroism of struggle for Ukrainian independence, commitment to independence, and constant searching for ways to achieve freedom;

4) Dignity is the protection of our spiritual, moral, and national positions, understanding of our importance and civic duty in the international community (Holovakha, 2021, p. 7).

Under the conditions of war, the priority belongs to the necessity of the formation of defense consciousness orienting the primary school children towards the readiness to defend Ukraine, develops the desire to get future military professions, serve in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, in air assault forces, marine infantry, aviation, National Guard which is particularly popular among the schoolchildren.

The subjects of the pedagogical interaction in the system “teacher-student”, “student-student” and the educational impact as a basis of the process of the national identity formation are not only the students and teachers, but also parents, family, territorial communities, youth associations, and avocational associations, formal and informal organizations, patriotically oriented organizations. The substantial and mostly positive educational impact on the primary school children under the conditions of war is administered by the symbols of the military outfit (awards, chevrons), weapons, military equipment, alarm signals, emergency shelters, and attributes of the military mortuary rites. The extreme circumspection of adults (parents, schoolchildren, elderly siblings) is very important here to help a child to avoid the psychological trauma, ousting by the ideas and instructions of revenge to the enemy, the images of peace, life, harmony, and prosperity present in the worldview of a patriot. The defense consciousness presupposes the full-fledged perception of one of the most important life values - freedom. A human deprived of freedom, the right to be free, has no goals and does not see the perspectives of future existence. The loss of freedom forces a person to struggle, the person will defend themselves and their land to get a chance to live in a society ruled by democracy, and human rights, where everyone feels themselves a master. A nation without freedom cannot develop and assimilates with other peoples gradually losing its language, culture, and identity.

A negative factor for freedom, according to E. Fromm, is the autocratic society that tries to control a person, forcing them to give up on freedom, independence, obey the strong power, at the same time becomes the reason for the spiritual deformation, distortion of needs, depersonalization, alienation or material interest in the relations with the other people (Fromm, 2019, p. 261).

According to V. Kremen, even a human being not acknowledging freedom, deep in their sole weep over it, “Freedoms like any other value, is necessary for a human being until loss of all human qualities. This is about value for any human being” (Kremen, 2010, p. 89). Freedom is a spiritual stem of a person and condition of their self-sufficiency which forces children and teenagers to struggle for their autonomy, and extension of their rights. Perceiving themselves the subjects of life, boys and girls strive for independence and proactivity. Especially nowadays this can be noticed in volunteering, when, along with the adults, the children and youth assume the responsibility for helping the army, taking care of persons who suffered from the military actions and were evacuated from the occupied and especially dangerous territories. In this case, the freedom of young people is conditioned by the level of their moral consciousness, when under these tough conditions of war they strive for maximum self-realization and self-affirmation, even if sometimes saying swear words or expressing some quick-tempered desires in the humiliation of enemy, the disrespect to them. (Well-known sayings or neologisms like “mordor”, “erefia”, “chornobayity”, “rashism”, “orks”, and “russian warship go fuck yourself”), etc.

In the conversation with the schoolchildren, especially with those of the primary school, it is necessary to take into account that any attempts to avoid the subject of war will interfere with the formation of their consciousness and selfesteem, getting the experience of the social behavior. The truth about the war in the children's consciousness should be transformed into the positivity of faith, hope, and charity, however, keeping the balance in the understanding of “the enemy is evil”, “war is grief”, and “peace is a blessing”, “russia is an aggressor state”, “Armed Forces of Ukraine are our guardians”, etc.

The young researchers R. Danyliak and N. Muliar in the process of realization of the bases of the partnership pedagogy, person-oriented pedagogy suggest creating a diversity of pedagogical scenarios to form the civil and social competencies (Danyliak, Muliar, 2022, p. 80). One of such pedagogical scenarios, according to the authors, is the nationwide moment's silence for the deceased introduced in March 2022 by the Order of the President of Ukraine. The moment's silence is announced at 9.00. throughout Ukraine by all mass media regardless of their property forms, including the educational institutions.

The moment's silence is aimed at honoring the blessed memory, bravery, and dedication, moral courage, tenacity, heroic exploit of soldiers who died performing their battlefield missions of protecting the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, civilians who died from the russian aggression against Ukraine. As the interactive, educational form by its nature, the moment's silence at primary school may be prolonged, at the morning meeting during the discussion by the primary school children of their own situations from their life experiences or experience of their family or friends, or Ukraine. In sharing their opinions and impressions the primary school children acquire the understanding and emotional attitude to the circumstances that became the reasons for the nationwide doleful moment's silence. During one of such morning meetings, the teachers may suggest studying the meaning of the national symbols of Ukraine at war and in peacetime. This will help the primary school children to identify the national symbols of Ukraine, to tell about Ukraine, their Motherland, in a logically built speech, show respect to Ukraine, and explain what it means to be a Ukrainian.

The tools to fulfill the research task may include a National Flag of Ukraine, the EU flags, the flags of other friendly states, sunflowers, paper, pencils, markers, paints, etc.

A question for analysis and conversation about the Blue-And-Yellow Flag as one of the national symbols of Ukraine is suggested to the children: “Tell us how you see this Flag? Name it. Study this Flag with your sense organs (eyesight, touch). Compare it with the sunflower, and other objects. Find what is common and different between them. When and where do we use the Flag? How do the soldiers on the battlefield use the Flag? Why? Think why the Ukrainian National Flag has such colors? How do they identify the state of Ukraine abroad? What and whom does the glory of Ukraine depend on? Draw the Ukrainian Flag and tell us about the Ukrainian Flag in specific famous events. Ask your parents, and grandparents, about the Ukrainian Flag in the past and nowadays. Prepare a story about the Ukrainian Flag so that it is interesting and fascinating. Undoubtedly, searching for answers to these questions will help the primary school children to improve their competence and, consequently, their level of national identification.

The given example of work with the students identifies the ways to use different forms and methods actualized nowadays in public life. The song “Oy u luzi chervona kalyna” which gained worldwide popularity is for sure, a modern trend in Ukraine. Interesting are the variants of quizzes and role plays with the use of the text of this and other patriotic songs.

Nowadays, like never before, we need new approaches and new ways of cultivating patriotism as a feeling and formation of the national identity, as a basic quality of a person. Besides, it should be taken into account that Ukraine has an ancient dignified culture and history, and experience of the statehood formation which is a powerful resource and strong grounds for the education of children and youth. They have already entered the educational environment, but today's realities of war require their reconsideration which opens new possibilities for the modern school as well.

The formation of the value orientation and national identity of the children and youth shall be focused on the examples of the heroic struggle of the Ukrainian people for the self-identification and creation of their own nation, ideals of freedom, national unity, nationhood, in particular, starting from the ducal times, Ukrainian Cossacks, Ukrainian Sich Riflemen, armies of the Ukrainian People's Republic, and West-Ukrainian People's Republic, the members of anti-Bolshevik peasant rebellion, Carpathian Sich Detachments, Ukrainian Rebel Army, Ukrainian rebels in Stalinist concentration camps, members of the Dissident Movement. Besides, the patriotic education and formation of the national identity shall be based on the examples of courage and heroism of the participants of revolutionary events in 2013-2014, Heavenly Hundred, members of the antiterrorist operation, and Combined Forces' Operation in Donetsk and Luhansk Regions, counteraction to the invasion and annexation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea by the russian federation, and especially, the nowadays war of the russian aggressor against Ukraine. This process shall be preemptive, shall take into consideration the risks and threats of war, and that the traumas of this war for the young generation may become a future experience, in particular, how to prevent a repetition of such a tragedy in the following generations of Ukrainian people. The behavioral limits, understanding of the value-based measuring of life in the concepts and moral virtues of good and evil, truth and prejudice, guilt and punishment, action and reward, etc. shall acquire a new orientation.

Yevhen Holovakha, a leading Sociologist of Ukraine, warns that the people focusing on the formation of negative identities and succeeding in this unfortunately still belong to the Ukrainian political and cultural elite. He believes that “negative identity” is built under the formula “I am not him” or “We are not them”. This negative identity forms a deficient one-sided personality for whom, unfortunately, “there's no difference” which language to speak, what traditions to follow, and whom to feel yourself (Draft Law, No.6341-1, p. 4) Therefore, in the scholar's opinion, the process of affirmation of the Ukrainian national identity will undoubtedly result in the creation of a new, Ukraine-centered, political and cultural elite.

national identity primary schoolchildren patriotic education

CONCLUSIONS AND PROSPECTS OF FURTHER RESEARCH

The formation of the Ukrainian national identity based on moral values will facilitate the formation of the national spirit of the young generation, implementation of the national and cultural paradigm into the system of education, reinforcement of the positions of the Ukrainian language as a national one, affirmation of the honorable attitude to the national symbols and traditions.

The formation of the national identity is aimed at the establishment of a patriotic citizen who is aware of their involvement in the fate of the country, its place and role in the world community, and is a bearer of the Ukrainian culture, language, who keeps a historical memory, values the traditions, is ready to defend, build Ukraine as a sovereign, independent, democratic country with the rule of law.

The process of patriotic education at primary school has its specificity and peculiarities since the primary school age is an important period in the ontogenesis, acquisition of the experience of the social behavior, sensual moral and ethical sphere as a basis for the formation of the key educational competences, further development of a child.

The existing problems in the educational process are identified in the correlation between the notions of humanity (a human being acknowledgment the highest value) and the modern realities of life of each student nowadays and are correlated with the notions and feelings of fear and anxiety, horror of destructions and people's death. Therefore, it is obvious that the most reliable, well-dosed information and explanation of the reasons and events of the russian - Ukrainian war to the children will require both systematic and specifically arranged pedagogical scenarios for the formation of national identity. The appearance of the new concepts and theoretical explanations concerning the methods of pedagogical support of the process of the Ukrainian national identity affirmation, practical recommendations in the organization of the educational events at wartime, in particular, glorification of the heroism and victory of the soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, formation of the new traditions of honoring the memory of the fallen defenders of Ukraine is expected in the nearest future.

national identity primary schoolchildren patriotic education

REFERENCES

National and Cultural Identity in the Teenager's Personality Formation: Monograph [K. Zhurba, I. Bekh, O. Dokukina, S. Fedorenko]. (2019). Kropyvnytskyi: IMEKS-LTD.

Holovakha, Ye. (2021). National Identity as a Key Issue of the Society. The Voice of Ukraine. August, 19.

Bakhrushyn, V. (2022). How to Rebuild the Education and Science After War. URL: https://zn.ua.ukr/edukation Fromm, E. (2019). Escape from Freedom. Kharkiv: Book Club “Family Leisure Club.

Kremen, V. (2010). Philosophy of Anthropocentrism in the Educational Environment. Kyiv: Znannia.

Danyliak, R., Muliar, N. (2022). Psychological and Pedagogical Aspects of the Patriotic Education of Primary School Children under the Conditions of the russian-Ukrainian War (2014-2022). The Teacher's Professionalism: Theoretical and Methodological Aspects. Sloviansk, 75-87. Draft Law No.6341-1 “On the Fundamentals of the State Policy in the Sphere of Affirmation of the Ukrainian National and Civic Identity. URL: http:// w1.c1.rada.gov.ua

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