FORMATION OF PERSONAL TOLERANCE IN THE SYSTEM OF MODERN EDUCATION

FORMATION OF PERSONAL TOLERANCE IN THE SYSTEM OF MODERN EDUCATION

The study presents the conditions and factors for the formation of a culture of tolerance in the system of modern social relations. It is emphasized that tolerance should be an absolute, not a situational phenomenon, a basic value in the system of social development. The components of the culture of tolerance and the factors of its formation in the mass consciousness are recorded.
Keywords: democracy, education, socialization, social interaction, tolerance, culture of tolerance.

Hrubi T. V.
PhD in Sociology, Associate Professor,
Bohdan Khmelnytskyi National Academy of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, Khmelnytskyi, Ukraine

10.34142//2708-4809.SIUTY.2022.162

In the face of the challenges facing Ukraine today, the basic strategy of the national education system is to form a personality that is aware of its national and political identity. Globalization processes, open borders, and the ability to integrate and interact in different socio-cultural dimensions determine the need to spread a culture of tolerance, which is characterized by the ability of its carriers to coexist and interact with different social groups, to accept and respect each other. The latter is a prerequisite for reducing social tension and conflict. That is why the issue of building tolerance is being actively studied and implemented in everyday practice by the international community.

First of all, tolerance should not be equated with passivity, indifference, and permissiveness, since its semantic basis has nothing to do with indulgence in the face of a potential enemy. To be tolerant means to respect the rights and freedoms of every citizen as an individual, to accept his or her worldview. We recognize that an appropriate level of tolerance can be formed in democratic societies with a high legal and civic culture, an appropriate level of education, civic identification and cohesion. In addition, the willingness to accept people as they are requires the reproduction of democratic principles in the life of society, namely, equal access to social benefits for every member of the community, full responsibility of all segments of the population before the law, and collective condemnation of any form of intolerance. Tolerance should be an absolute, not a situational phenomenon, a basic value in the system of social development [4, p. 60].

This problem has deep roots and has been the subject of discussion since the Enlightenment. The analysis of the nature of tolerance can be found in the works of N. Roerich, J.-J. Rousseau, H. Skovoroda, V. Sukhomlynsky, K. Ushynsky, and others. Its various aspects are highlighted in modern scientific and pedagogical research. In particular, tolerance as a socially significant value has been studied by V. Berehovoi, V. Bolotina, I. Bekh, O. Hryva, and others; the formation of interpersonal tolerance of pupils and students is reflected in the works of H. Soldatov, O. Sharov, the theoretical foundations of tolerance have been analyzed by L. Zaviriukha, N. Ivantsev, H. Levko, and others. We agree with the positions of well-known experts on the importance of fostering a culture of tolerance and introducing it into the system of education and training. After all, the latter are fundamental elements of the formation of human identity, as well as the establishment of a moderate attitude to everything that goes beyond its social norms and standards [4, p. 63].

The functioning of the national education system under martial law is characterized by an intensive search for new approaches to teaching, innovative forms of organizing the educational process, effective pedagogical and information technologies [5, p. 7]. One of the priority tasks in this context is to create a culture of tolerance. The first and most significant step towards progressive change is the transformation of the philosophical basis of the educational process, in which a person will be brought up not only as a patriot of his/her state, but also as a citizen of the global space [4, p. 69].

Researcher V. Lectorskyi identified four possible ways of understanding tolerance:

– tolerance as indifference;
– tolerance as the impossibility of mutual understanding (as respect for the other, whom I cannot understand and with whom I cannot interact)
– tolerance as condescension (to the weakness of others, combined with a certain amount of contempt for them);
– tolerance as the expansion of one’s own experience and critical dialogue (as respect for someone else’s position combined with the instruction to mutually change positions as a result of critical dialogue) [3, p. 47].

The American researcher G. Allport gave a generalized and, in our opinion, more complete characterization of a tolerant personality:

– Self-orientation (a tolerant person is more focused on personal independence than on belonging to external institutions and authorities);
– the need for certainty (a tolerant person recognizes diversity and is ready to listen to anyone’s point of view);
– ability to empathize;
– preference for freedom and democracy;
– self-image (a tolerant person is well aware of his/her positive and negative qualities, is not inclined to blame others for all the troubles);
– responsibility (a tolerant person does not shift responsibility to others);
– security (a tolerant person has a sense of security and confidence in the possibility of overcoming existing problems) [2, p. 182].

A number of researchers emphasize that tolerance as a feature of consciousness, a personal trait, is not inherent in humans genetically and may not appear if it is not present in the system of values formed through the education and socialization of the individual. Given the severity of this problem, we believe it is advisable to develop in future professionals feelings of respect, acceptance and correct understanding of the diversity of cultures of the modern world, forms of expression and ways of manifesting human individuality, which implies a tolerant attitude towards other nationalities, races, skin color, gender, age, language, religion, national origin, etc. The ethical meaning of the problem of tolerance today is that it is based not just on tolerance as a trait of character, but on respect for the freedom of others. This understanding of tolerance, in our opinion, will make it possible to educate a humane person and a specialist who will be successfully integrated into the system of social and political relations.

We agree with the opinion of Y. Kopynets that it is impossible to teach tolerance based only on its formal understanding.

Tolerance as an internal attitude and a way of interaction should be a voluntary individual choice. It cannot be imposed and is formed through information, education and personal life experience. Tolerance is manifested in the willingness to accept others as they are and to interact with them on the basis of consent. First and foremost, it involves a joint dialog, reciprocity and an active position of all stakeholders. Tolerance is expressed in the active life position of a person and is an important criterion of the maturity of a person who has his/her own values and interests and at the same time respects the positions and values of other people [1, p. 63].

There are many factors of tolerance formation. Most often, they include: the environment as a means of acquiring socially significant norms and rules of behavior; cultural traditions; mass media, art, literature; individual and typological features of a person, his or her lifestyle, and so on.

According to E. Kartavshchykova, the peculiarities of the content and semantic aspect of the human motivational sphere are also a powerful factor in the formation of tolerance [1, p. 64].

We recognize that higher education institutions play an important role in the formation of tolerance in young people. They are those social institutions that are called upon to create and maintain a socio-cultural environment that directly affects the formation of personal traits and attitudes of personal behavior, focused on its self-realization, taking into account the specifics of the social situation and the peculiarities of its development.

Thus, we can note that education for tolerance is perhaps the most important strategic task of education in the twenty-first century, which necessitates the development of special approaches to the organization of the educational process in universities, the creation of an appropriate socio-cultural environment, the choice of specific forms and methods of developing the spiritual potential of students, and the formation of their tolerant attitude towards representatives of different cultures and beliefs.

List of references

1. Kopynets Y. Tolerance as a necessary component of the formation of the personality of modern students. International Scientific Bulletin. 2018. № 2 (18). С. 60-67.
2. Lipovets Y. Tolerance as a value of modern law. Scientific Bulletin of Uzhhorod National University : Series: Law. 2018. Uzhhorod: Helvetica Publishing House, 2018. № 2 (48). С. 181-184.
3. On tolerance, pluralism and criticism. Questions of philosophy. 1997. № 11. С. 46-54.
4. Terepyshchnyi S. O.. Ukrainian education in wartime: monograph. Kyiv: Drahomanov National Pedagogical University, 2020. С. 59-69.
5. Education of Ukraine under martial law. Innovative and project activities : scientific and met. collection. Kyiv; Chernivtsi: Bukrek, 2022. 140 с.