THE POTENTIAL OF INTEGRATED LEARNING FOR ENHANCING PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENTS' LEARNING INTEREST

Abstract

The article addresses the problem of declining learning interest among primary school students. It is argued that in modern educational practice, fragmented presentation of learning content negatively affects students’ cognitive activity. The main objective of the study is to identify the effectiveness of integrated tasks as a methodological mechanism for increasing learning interest. Both theoretical analysis and empirical methods were used in the study. The results showed that integrated tasks contribute to enhancing students’ learning motivation and the effectiveness of their learning activities.

The study was conducted based on multi-level methodological approaches. The methodological basis included a system-structural approach, which considers the educational process as an integral pedagogical system; an activity-based approach, which identifies students’ cognitive activity as a leading factor; and integration principles, ensuring the interrelation of learning content and activity types. At the theoretical level, an analysis of the state of the researched problem in psychological and pedagogical literature was conducted, and the scientific-methodological prerequisites for developing learning interest were identified.

At the empirical level, pedagogical observation, diagnostic surveys, formative experiments, and comparative-analytical methods for processing and interpreting results were applied. Within the formative experiment, learning tasks were designed beyond subject boundaries, an integrative model was developed to ensure the interaction of content and activity components of the learning material, and it was implemented in practice. The proposed model aimed at students’ mastery of knowledge not at a reproductive level, but at a meaningful and reflective level.

The study results demonstrated that integrated tasks activate students’ internal motivation in learning activities and ensure a qualitative transformation of cognitive interest. The experiment showed the formation of a holistic perception of learning content, understanding the interrelation of subject knowledge, and an increase in the independence of learning activities. Furthermore, growth in reflective abilities, cognitive initiative, and creative activity of students was observed.

In conclusion, integrated tasks are justified as an effective pedagogical tool for developing learning interest among primary school students, as well as an important methodological resource for organizing and restructuring learning activities.