SOCIO-PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PEDAGOGICAL APPROACHES TO THE FORMATION OF LEADERSHIP COMPETENCE IN HIGHER EDUCATION STUDENTS

Abstract

Contemporary transformational processes in Ukraine, particularly in the security and defense sector, create new demands for the training of specialists capable of acting effectively under uncertainty, high responsibility, and intensive team interaction. The professional activity of future officers and law enforcement personnel requires not only advanced professional training but also developed leadership competence as an integrative personal-professional characteristic. This article theoretically substantiates socio-psychological and pedagogical approaches to developing leadership competence in higher education students.
The study employs analysis and synthesis of scientific sources, comparative analysis, generalization of theoretical principles, structural-functional analysis, and theoretical modeling. It is established that leadership competence integrates activity, motivational, evaluative, and personal components, forming under the influence of individual psychological traits, socio-psychological group dynamics, and pedagogical interventions.
Particular attention is given to integrating socio-psychological and pedagogical dimensions of leadership development: enhancing leadership potential, communicative competence, emotional regulation, and group identity is combined with the organization of educational environments and the use of interactive learning methods (project-based learning, case study, gaming and simulation technologies, debates, and training sessions).
Thus, an integrated socio-psychological and pedagogical approach ensures systematic leadership competence development, promotes students’ agency, and enhances team effectiveness among future security and defense professionals, serving as a key factor in their professional mobility and successful adaptation in modern conditions.