Formation of the Civic-Patriotic and Cultural Identity of Students in the Context of the Expansion of the Unified Educational Space of the Russian Federation

Background. The article covers the issue of patriotism in educating young people as a priority state task. Education of a patriot, the formation of the Russian civil-patriotic identity of the younger generation is a matter of national security today. In a special way, this issue becomes in demand when it comes to the training and education of future teachers. Objectives. Within the framework of the conducted research, the main goal is the formation of a targeted training programme at a pedagogical university for a socially mature, educated, cultured citizen of the country, a true patriot of Russia. Study participants. 125 1st-year and 5th-year students majoring in psychology and pedagogy. Methods. The research is based on a sociocultural approach that focuses on the norms and rules of behaviour accepted in a given society that influence the formation of behavioral patterns by individuals. The study of civic, patriotic and cultural identity was conducted through a questionnaire developed by the authors, which allows identifying the attitude of young students to citizenship and patriotism. Descriptive statistics was used to process the results. Results. The experience of Donetsk State Pedagogical University named after V. Shatalov demonstrates the wide possibilities of the institute of mentorship in the matters of professional education of future teachers, education of a citizen and a patriot. It is emphasized that mentoring at the university is an effective tool for forming a unified educational space, which contributes to the active integration of new regions into the general context of the Russian educational system. Conclusions. The reviewed material confirms that work on the formation of a civic and patriotic identity is impossible without special attention to spiritual and moral values and ideals rooted in the historical past of the multicultural people of Russia, traditional values that we perceive as moral guidelines. The authors see prospects for further work on the formation of the civic and patriotic identity of Donbass students in the development of a research topic devoted to the study of mechanisms for the formation of a future teacher’s civic position, including the use of various tools, educational resources of a higher education institution of a pedagogical profile.