Psychological and educational support for the development of students’ life strategies: Analysis of best practices in the implementation of youth policy in modern conditions
Authors:   Kostroma State University, Raikina Maria Alexandrovna , Vorontsova Anna Valerievna ,   Kostroma State University
Published: December 2024

Introduction. The article is devoted to the analysis of the current state of psychological and educational support for building students’ life strategies within the system of moral education in universities of the Russian Federation. The purpose of the study is to identify the specifics of psychological and educational support for the process of building life strategies by students based on the analysis of the best practices in the implementation of youth policy in modern conditions.
Materials and Methods. The theoretical and methodological bases of the study ware the ideas and concepts of learner-centered approach. The authors used the methods of expert assessment and content analysis. An array of empirical data was obtained as a result of the analysis of applications submitted by higher educational institutions for the Review-competition of the best practices in the implementation of youth policy and the organization of educational activities at the university. The data array consisted of 1215 applications.
Results. The authors conclude that there is a contradiction between the relevance of the task of building a life strategy for student age and a pronounced lack of activities in psychological and educational support of this process. The authors emphasized the internal orientation and isolation of moral educational activities at universities, which hinders the spread of practices of supporting the construction of students' life prospects outside the university. Among the existing formats of psychological and educational support, the centers of psychological counseling, adaptation and training programs, monitoring and diagnostic programs, clubs and communities of pre-psychological assistance and mutual assistance prevail. However, educational activities and youth policy at universities have a pronounced indirect or mediated influence on the construction of students’ life strategy. The most significant potential of this activity in relation to long-term planning is an increase in the level of awareness and social orientation of the individual, his or her ability to self-knowledge and consciously build a life prospect.
Conclusions. The authors identify specific characteristics of psychological and educational support for the construction of life prospects by students at the university: a pronounced lack of attention to the task of building a long-term life prospect; the dominance of practices of supporting orientation and planning in the near future; institutionalization of support for building a life strategy in psychologically-oriented formats; significant indirect influence of the university on the process of building a life perspective; deficiencies of formats that affect significant components of building a life perspective (family and career planning); deficiencies of formats that form social immunity to negative environmental influences, thereby removing barriers to building a life perspective.