Pedagogical and educational aspect of the historical work of M. Arkas “History of Ukraine-Rusʺ

Abstract

Prominent personalities and their historical significance are often represented with regard to their main
activity. At the same time, the outstanding personality can be also considered from other point of view; in
particular, the activity of M. Arkas, a historian, composer, and the founder of “Prosvita” in the city of
Nikolaev, can be analyzed from the standpoint of pedagogical research and achievements. It cannot be
argued that it has a great educational and pedagogical potential. Accordingly, we can formulate the purpose
of the study, namely: to consider and analyze the work of M. Arkas “History of Ukraine-Rus” in the context
of its educational ideal and pedagogical content, focusing on determining the value, place and importance of
the ideas of M. Arkas in the context of the cultural and educational movement in Ukraine in the second half
of the 19th – early 20th centuries. The methodological basis of the study is grounded on the general scientific
principles of historical knowledge and historicity, objectivity, system-orientation, complexity, scientificity, and multifactoriality. Particular emphasis is placed on the use of general scientific methods (biographical
analysis, synthesis, and classification), as well as interdisciplinary (structural and systematic approach) and
historical (retrospective, problem-chronological, comparative-historical, and descriptive) methods. The
scientific novelty of this study is that an attempt was made to expand the pedagogical and educational aspect
of the historical work of M. Arkas “History of Ukraine-Rus”. The value of using M. Arkas's creative work as
a significant factor in educating patriotic feelings, civic position, and humanity is determined. The
researchers are convinced that the key to becoming a true patriot is to study the historical heritage of one’s
proper motherland and local people, which served as the basis for writing the book “History of UkraineRus”. M. Arkas brought to the fore the study of the history of the people, which is one of the most valuable
spiritual treasures. This is one of the main principles of its educational potential. In addition, there is every
reason to consider the book “History of Ukraine-Rus” to be a full-fledged textbook. And it is not just about
the popular presentation of material and illustrations; there are such important principles of learning as
interest, consistency, and scientific content.