Psychological and pedagogical characteristics of students’ demands while self-studying at the institution of higher education

In the conditions of rapid growth of new scientific and application information, the volume of knowledge that a graduate of a higher school has to master is constantly increasing. Educational standards, curricula, educational and methodological resources, textbooks and teaching aids despite being constantly reconsidered aren’t able to catch up with all the current changes. In this context a large gap between scientific achievements and the content of university courses arises which reduces the quality of training students. The solution to this contradiction is the development of students’ need for self-studying along with the improvement of the methodology and methods of teaching certain courses at the university. Based on the analysis of psychological and pedagogical research and personal experience, the characteristics of three levels of students’ readiness for self-studying are revealed. Potentialities of teachers’ activity for the organization of students’ controlled cognitive activity are determined. It is proved that the need for independent acquisition of certain subject matter and modules of the course under study inevitably leads to a shift in priorities from memorizing and reproducing the acquired knowledge to their independent acquisition and mastering. Particular attention is drawn to the need for organizing independent laboratory research and virtual laboratory experiments in physics which provide supportive environment for the formation of students’ need for self-study.