Structural characteristics of the spiritual and moral sphere in educational psychology students (bachelor’s and master’s)

Abstract

Introduction. This article examines structural characteristics of the spiritual and moral sphere in bachelor’s and master’s educational psychology students. It addresses contemporary shifts in youth value systems, where pragmatic and hedonistic values increasingly outweigh spiritual and moral attitudes, impacting the professional formation of future graduates. The study draws on the Russian psychological tradition of studying the individual’s spiritual and moral sphere, specifically the core ideas of V. A. Snegirev and other Russian scholars regarding the role of the spiritual ideal, moral values, and life–meaning orientations in individual development.

Materials and Methods. The empirical study involved 108 students (50 bachelor’s and 58 master’s). Methods included an assessment of moral orientations, the Terminal Values Questionnaire, and the Standard of Life Activity method. Statistical processing involved descriptive statistics, non-parametric Mann–Whitney U test, correlation analysis, and cluster analysis.

Results. Findings indicate that bachelor’s students’ spiritual and moral sphere is fragmented, with the dominance of vital and social values and weak integration of moral orientations and existential meanings. Master’s students demonstrate a more hierarchical and integrated structure, though the pragmatic orientation of life goals remains. Comparative analysis showed that bachelor’s students score significantly higher across all terminal values than master’s students. Correlation analysis revealed that for bachelor’s students terminal values are statistically significantly associated primarily with vital and social standards of life, reflecting an orientation towards current life tasks such as social activity, self-development in education, and professional formation. In master’s students, the existential standard is associated with the values of active social contacts and education; this indicates the dominance of pragmatic goals and meanings in the structure of life–meaning self-determination, while the emerging conflict between hedonistic and spiritual values is resolved by replacing the content of moral values — specifically, by reducing them to vital and social meanings.

Conclusions. The findings highlight differences in the maturity of the spiritual and moral sphere at different levels of higher education and emphasize the importance of targeted work on the formation of moral guidelines in the educational process.