CONCEPT OF ECOLOGICAL LITERACY IN THE CONTEXT OF THE U. S. HIGHER EDUCATION

The article highlights the characteristics of the ecological literacy and the strategies for its formation in the context of the U. S. higher education institutions. It focuses on studying the essence of the concepts “literacy” and “ecological literacy”. The author also analyzes the role of universities in the United States in integrating the principles of environmental education into their educational process. The research design is descriptive and analytical, based on a deductive-narrative approach and a set of complementary theoretical methods, which are as follows: critical analysis and generalization of philosophical, psychological and pedagogical sources on the problem under study; monographic method – for interpreting the results obtained in a coherent logical perspective. It is noted that the formation of students’ ecological literacy is a priority area of the U. S. higher educational institutions today, involving: knowledge (mastery of basic scientific concepts about nature, environmental problems);awareness (formation of a conscious position on the environment); attitude (understanding of nature as a unique value and source of human life); skills (ability to practically master the environment and protect it); activity (participation in environmental protection activities); skills (participation in solving environmental problems); ecological thinking style and responsible attitude towards nature.