FORMATION OF STUDENTS' CREATIVE POTENTIAL AS A PRIORITY OF MODERN HIGHER EDUCATION IN THE CONTEXT OF TRANSFORMATIONAL CHANGES

The article deals with theoretical approaches to understanding creative potential and creativity as important psychological characteristics of a person in the modern socio-cultural environment. Particular attention is paid to the analysis of the levels of formation of creative abilities in young people, in particular, students - future professionals who are at the stage of active professional and personal development. The empirical part of the study involved the use of psychodiagnostic methods, which were used to quantify the levels of creativity of the respondents. In the process of analysing the results, the distribution of participants by levels of creative abilities was established, which allowed to identify both general trends and differentiated characteristics of creative thinking in the study sample. The data obtained are interpreted in the context of the relevance of the development of creative potential in the youth environment and the directions of possible support for this process within the educational environment are outlined.