LEARNING-COGNITIVE ACTIVITY AND COGNITIVE ENGAGEMENT OF STUDENTS OF MEDICAL HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS: A THEORETICAL AND METHODOLOGICAL ANALYSIS

Abstract

The article provides an in-depth theoretical and methodological analysis of learning-cognitive activity and cognitive engagement of students in medical higher education institutions within the context of contemporary transformations of the educational environment. Learning-cognitive activity is interpreted as a specific form of educational and professional activity aimed at the purposeful acquisition of a system of scientific knowledge, mastery of cognitive and practical methods of action, formation of professional thinking, and development of the creative potential of future physicians. The paper substantiates the position of the student as an active subject of personal educational and professional development, capable of self-regulation, reflection, and responsibility for learning outcomes, as well as the transformation of the teacher’s role from a transmitter of knowledge to an organizer of the educational environment, a facilitator of cognitive engagement, and a partner in students’ professional formation. Cognitive engagement is analyzed as a complex psychological and pedagogical construct that develops through the interaction of external and internal factors. External factors include organizational and methodological support of the educational process, professional orientation of learning activities, and the level of teachers’ pedagogical competence; internal factors encompass characteristics of cognitive processes, the emotional-volitional sphere, motivational structure of personality, and the development of reflection. Within the structure of cognitive engagement of medical students, stimulative-motivational, content-operational, control-reflective, independent-creative, social-communicative, and organizational-didactic components are distinguished, and their role in ensuring the integrity of the cognitive process and in shaping the professional competence of future physicians is elucidated. The levels of cognitive engagement formation – reproductive, productive, and creative – are characterized, and their development is shown to depend on pedagogical conditions of educational process organization, implementation of subject-subject interaction, and the use of active and problem-oriented teaching methods. It is concluded that purposeful enhancement of cognitive engagement among medical students is a key prerequisite for the development of independent thinking, readiness to solve complex professional tasks, and capacity for lifelong professional self-development.