Formation of Environmental Culture of Students in Universities of Samara Oblast (Russia)

The article analyzes the experience of the development of environmental consciousness and the formation of environmental culture of students of several universities in the Samara oblast, including pedagogical, technical and orthodox. The urgency of the chosen problem is determined by the aggravated ecological crisis, the way out of which is possible only on condition of increasing the level of ecological culture of the population. According to a number of researchers, properly organized system of environmentally-oriented education will contribute to the development of environmental consciousness of the teacher, the formation of environmental culture of students and schoolchildren. The authors of the article describe the system of environmental education of students, which has developed at the Faculty of Natural and Geography of Samara State University of Social Sciences and Education and some other universities of the Samara oblast. The article also presents the results of diagnostics of ecological consciousness and ecological culture of students in the first and fourth years of study. The received results allow to draw a conclusion that integration of various directions of educational and methodical, research, social and educational work in higher educational institutions promotes development of ecological consciousness and formation of ecological culture of students. In the process of higher education there is a steady increase in the level of their environmental consciousness and ecological culture.