THE ESSENCE AND STRUCTURE OF THE CONCEPT OF «ECOLOGICAL VALUES OF STUDENTS OF SOCIONOMIC PROFESSIONS»

The ecological crisis that has become a reality in the twenty-first century requires an urgent solution. For that reason, the formed ecological values should become one of the dominant ones in a person’s hierarchy of values, in particular of future specialists of socionomic professions. Consequently, it requires the training of highly qualified specialists of socionomic professions in higher education institutions, who are able to demonstrate the existence of the values on their own through the ability to solve problems of ecological education in order to disseminate and promote ecological values in the future. The purpose of the article is to reveal the essence and structure of the concept of “ecological values of students of socionomic professions”. The study used a range of methods, such as analysis, systematization, generalization of scientific sources, and comparison. Results of the study. It has been found that ecological values, as well as other values, constitute the general system of universal human values of personality (life, survival, quality of life); such a combination of them will be individually embodied in specific deeds and ethical behavior of a person. The concept of “ecological values of students of socionomic professions” is seen as a complex personal formation that demonstrates an individual’s attitude to environmental objects and regulates relationships with nature based on moral standards and principles, public ecological perceptions, and ethos that shape attitudes, emotions, and knowledge, beliefs, also including assessments of ecological events, and is characterized by the ability to skillfully tackle both ecological and educational tasks. Conclusions. The following components of ecological values of students of socionomic professions have been identified: motivational-valuable, cognitive, activity-behavioral, and personal-reflexive. Key words: ecological values, ecological education, students of HEI, socioeconomic professions, nature, human.