CREATIVE ABILITY DEVELOPMENT AMONG SOCIONOMIC STUDENTS IN THE UNIVERSITY EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENT: CRITERIA, INDICATORS, AND LEVELS

Abstract

The article examines the theoretical aspects of developing the creative abilities of students preparing for socionomic professions in higher education institutions. The purpose of the study is to theoretically substantiate a system of criteria, indicators, and levels for the development of students’ creative abilities in socionomic professions and to identify pedagogical conditions that contribute to their development within the university educational environment. The study is based on the analysis, generalization, and systematization of scientific approaches presented in contemporary Ukrainian dissertation research and foreign scholarly works. On this basis, the essence of creative abilities is clarified as an integral personal quality that combines the ability to generate new ideas and solutions with the ability to implement them effectively in the process of professional interaction with people. A system of four interrelated criteria is substantiated: motivational-value, cognitive-intellectual, activitycommunicative, and personal-reflexive. For each criterion, corresponding indicators are identified, covering motivation for creative activity, characteristics of thinking, the ability to engage in creative interaction and practical implementation of ideas, as well as reflective skills. Three levels of students’ creative ability development are distinguished: low (reproductive-pattern), medium (variable-search), and high (innovative-creative). The pedagogical conditions for developing creative abilities in higher education are outlined, including subject-subject interaction, problem-based creative learning, the development of reflection, the practical orientation of professional training, and the use of the opportunities provided by the digital educational environment. The proposed system of criteria, indicators, and levels can serve as a theoretical basis for further diagnosis and experimental research into the development of creative abilities among students preparing for socionomic professions. The identified provisions can also be used to improve the organization of the educational process and to further develop a model for the development of creative abilities among students of socionomic professions.