A Model of Pedagogical Support for a Teenager Making an Existential Choice and the Specificity of Its Implementation in a Mixed-Age Children’s Association

Aim. To describe a model of pedagogical support for a teenager, making an existential choice, and its key components such as patterns, principles, pedagogical tools, conditions, as well as to consider the features of the implementation of the model in question in the context of a mixed-age children’s group.

Methodology. The study is based on an existential approach to education. The primary methods used included a theoretical analysis of scientific literature on modern child education, as well as an analysis of a study of adolescent moral ideals conducted in Kaluga and the Kaluga region in 2025 (n=1,065). Some of the results highlight the need for targeted educational activities aimed at internalising moral values as a foundation for existential choice in maturing individuals.

Results. The study resulted in the development of a scientifically based model of pedagogical support for adolescent existential choice, represented by a system of interconnected components. Its implementation in work with adolescents will, on the one hand, create conditions for the internalisation of moral values in the consciousness of maturing individuals and, on the other, facilitate students’ meaningful, independent search for and identification of moral guidelines. A significant result of the study is the identification of specific features of the implementation of the model of pedagogical support for existential choice in a mixed-age children’s group, expanding the scope of the developed model and demonstrating its flexibility and variability.

Research implications. The study’s findings substantiate an existential approach to pedagogical support for adolescent existential choice and guide the teaching community toward implementing an existential education strategy that provides each child with the opportunity to express their agency within a value-oriented educational environment and encourages moral self-improvement through moral reflection and self-expression based on established moral values. The practical significance of the study lies primarily in the potential application of this model of pedagogical support for adolescent existential choice in education, including in its various formats, particularly in mixed-age children's groups.

Conclusions. It has been established that moral education in the context of modern sociocultural conditions, on the one hand, must consider the specific self-identification of maturing individuals, predetermined by trends associated with the introduction of virtual communication tools into human life. On the other hand, the educational process should be event-driven and provide each student with the opportunity for self-expression, the realisation of their agency, and a sense of involvement in ongoing educational events. Emphasis is made on the fact that personality is formed through interaction with a reference adult, who creates an event-driven educational environment in which the child can develop and embrace moral ideals based on high moral values and existential meanings.

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