The formation of contemporary higher education students’ spirituality through the prism of literature and philosophy

Abstract

The article is dedicated to a theoretical exploration of the formation of spirituality among contemporary students in higher education through the lens of Ukrainian and Slovak literary and philosophical traditions, in a comparative context. The study focuses on three key issues: how literature and philosophy function as cultural resources for shaping students' spiritual values; which shared and distinctive axiological orientations are reflected in Ukrainian and Slovak literary-philosophical traditions; and what pedagogical potential the proposed conceptual framework holds in the contemporary sociocultural environment.

The analysis is based on an interdisciplinary qualitative approach, including content analysis, philosophical hermeneutics, comparative and synthetic analysis of peer-reviewed scientific articles, monographs, and conceptual works in philosophy of education, literary studies, and cultural studies, as well as Ukrainian and Slovak literary texts from the late 19th to early 21st centuries that represent moral, ethical, and spiritual values. It has been discovered that integrating literary and philosophical approaches creates a productive conceptual framework for the formation of a holistic worldview in students, the development of their reflective practices, and the cultivation of their capacity for responsible moral choice. Ukrainian and Slovak traditions demonstrate shared humanistic orientations, including personal dignity, freedom, moral responsibility, and spiritual resilience, while also exhibiting culturally specific modes of realizing these values.

The scientific novelty of the article lies in the proposed integrative conceptual framework, which synthesizes literary-interpretative and philosophical-educational approaches, providing a systematic understanding of spirituality as a multidimensional phenomenon in higher education. The findings underscore the role of the humanities in value-oriented personal development and demonstrate the pedagogical potential for implementing this concept through the integration of dialogical and extracurricular forms of engagement, literary clubs, and intercultural reading activities, which foster critical thinking, moral reflection, and self-awareness in students.