Assessment of cognitive, behavioral, and motivational learning outcomes in teaching fundamentals of safety and homeland protection in the context of developing readiness for decision-making and risk assessment

Introduction. Modern school practice in teaching Fundamentals of Safety and Homeland Protection is characterized by the predominance of reproductive teaching methods that limit the development of students’ ability to make independent decisions and critically assess risks under conditions of uncertainty. This leads to a gap between the acquisition of theoretical knowledge and the formation of practical skills, behavioral models, and intrinsic motivation that ensure readiness to act in dangerous situations. There arises a need to theoretically substantiate and assess learning outcomes that reflect the complex development of cognitive, behavioral, and motivational-personal components of students’ actions in risk conditions. The aim of the study is to examine the impact of situational learning in the Fundamentals of Safety and Homeland Protection course on the development of students’ cognitive, behavioral, and motivational characteristics that form their ability to make decisions and critically evaluate risks. Materials and Methods. The empirical part of the study was conducted as a teaching experiment involving 118 eighth-grade students divided into control and experimental groups. To assess the effectiveness of the author’s teaching procedure based on the integration of the situational approach and Bloom’s taxonomy–testing, structured observation, and questionnaires were applied. Data processing was carried out using methods of mathematical statistics and content analysis. Results. The authors identified a statistically significant improvement in the experimental group: the proportion of students with high scores increased by 20.7% (p = 0.004). Cognitive activity grew by 40 %; a strong positive correlation was found between academic motivation and learning outcomes (r = 0.87). The study also revealed the development of students’ decision-making readiness, civic responsibility, and patriotic identity. Conclusions. It was experimentally confirmed that the integration of the situational approach with Bloom’s taxonomy significantly enhances cognitive, behavioral, and motivational learning outcomes. The proposed teaching procedure develops students’ readiness for decision-making and risk assessment, overcoming the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical skills in the Fundamentals of Safety and Homeland Protection course.