Methodology for researching the legal foundations of spiritual and moral upbringing in the Ukrainian education system

Scholars' attention to the issues of spiritual and moral upbringing is becoming increasingly important in the context of modern societal challenges, especially in light of the full-scale war. A significant result of any research can only be achieved by employing an effective methodology. This article demonstrates the methodological tools that can be used to study the legal foundations of spiritual and moral upbringing within the Ukrainian education system. The concepts, levels, and structure of methodology are examined. The article presents methodological principles for research, including the principles of historicism, complexity, systematization, objectivity, comparison, and practicality. Attention is given to methodological approaches such as historical-legal, systemic, comparative, psychological-pedagogical, cultural, axiological, dialectical, and interdisciplinary approaches. Among the research methods, the focus is on formal-legal, logical-legal, and comparative-legal methods. The article proposes a custom methodology for researching legal documents that regulate spiritual and moral upbringing in the Ukrainian education system. The methodology involves several stages. The first stage involves collecting legal documents regulating the educational process, with attention to sources of information and chronological classification of the collected documents. The next stage involves analyzing the legal documents, with key components being initial analysis, deep content analysis, comparative analysis, and functional analysis. The final stage involves evaluating the effectiveness. This methodology helps to identify trends and issues within the legal framework and offers recommendations for its improvement. Each component of the methodology provides a unique perspective for studying the legal foundations of spiritual and moral upbringing, allowing for a deeper understanding of their essence and significance in the educational process