Department of Psychology and Special Pedagogy

The Department of Psychology and Special Pedagogy is one of the structural subdivisions of the National Academy of Educational Sciences of Ukraine. In March 1993, a full member of the National Academy of Educational Sciences of Ukraine, Doctor of Science in Pedagogic Sciences, Professor Oleksandr Vasyliovych Kyrychuk was elected the first head of the Department. Since December 1997, the Department has been headed by a full member of the National Academy of Educational Sciences of Ukraine, Doctor of Science in Psychology, Professor Serhii Dmytrovych Maksimenko. In October 2022, Panok Vitaly Hryhorovych, a corresponding member of the National Academy of Educational Sciences of Ukraine, Doctor of Science in Psychology, Professor, director of the Ukrainian Scientific and Methodical Centre of Practical Psychology and Social Work was appointed an acting academician-secretary of the Department.

Today, the Department is a powerful scientific institution determining the priority areas of scientific research in the field of psychology and special pedagogy, the topics of fundamental and applied research, carries out their coordination, ensures the organization and conduct of these studies by scientific teams of scientific institutions assigned to the Department, organizes the implementation of the results of scientific research in social and educational practice, promotes the establishment of close creative ties with domestic and foreign scientists and practitioners.

The Department includes 14 active members (academicians), 16 corresponding members and 7 honorary academicians of the National Academy of Educational Sciences of Ukraine. Scientific institutions headed by leading scientists belong to the Department: Institute of Psychology named after H.S. Kostyuk of the National Academy of Educational Sciences of Ukraine (academician S.D. Maksimenko), Institute of Social and Political Psychology of the National Academy of Educational Sciences of Ukraine (corresponding member M.M. Slyusarevskyi), Institute of Special Pedagogy and Psychology named after Mykola Yarmachenko of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (Doctor of Science in Psychology L. I. Prokhorenko), Ukrainian Scientific and Methodical Centre of Practical Psychology and Social Work (corresponding member V.G. Panok).

In the institutions of the Department, where about 350 scientific employees work, including 7 active members (academicians), 7 corresponding members, more than 80 doctors of sciences and about 180 candidates of sciences, 37 scientific researches are carried out annually in 9 priority directions in the field of psychology and special pedagogy.

The topic of scientific research covers almost all areas of modern psychology and special pedagogy: methodology and history of psychology, personality psychology, age and pedagogical psychology, psychology of learning, psychology of creativity and giftedness, economic and organizational, cognitive and environmental psychology, psychophysiology and psychodiagnostics, social and political psychology, applied psychology, education of persons with special educational needs, inclusive education, etc. The priority of the Department′s activities is to solve the current problems of education, upbringing and mental development of the individual in the conditions of social transformations and reforming of domestic education, strengthening the links between scientific research and social practice.

Taking into account the needs and prospects of the social development of the country, the scientists of the Department direct their efforts to determine the psychological patterns of students′ mastery of their own behaviour, the formation of a system of internal regulation of activity that ensures a person′s ability to self-development and self-realization, the creation of such an informational and meaningful environment where the student becomes a sub object of creating an educational space. In particular, the concept of mental development has been developed, which makes it possible to discover fundamentally new aspects of considering the individual as an object of scientific study. This opens up ways to combine the theoretical achievements of psychology with social demands for the modernization of education in the context of new social realities, as well as to build a system of psychological support for the individual at all stages of its development. The theoretical and methodological foundations of the development of psychological science are developed by scientists of the Department, taking into account modern trends in world psychology.

A prominent place in the work of scientists is occupied by research aimed at the further development of the methodology and practice of correctional pedagogy and special psychology, the study of the characteristics of children with impaired psychophysical development and the development and implementation of innovative pedagogical technologies, scientific-methodical and psychological support of the process of learning and raising children with special educational needs.

In the conditions of martial law, the Department′s scientists implement a number of research activities aimed at scientific and methodological support and direct practical psychological assistance to participants in the educational process, military personnel, and the population of Ukraine affected by military operations. A significant amount of volunteer activity is also carried out to provide psychological assistance to all strata of Ukrainian society in the conditions of war, in particular - individual and group counselling of various categories of victims, direct psychological assistance to military personnel and their families, conducting educational trainings, webinars, scientific and practical conferences, preparation of informational materials with the aim of psychological education of the population, development of various methodological support for the work of practical psychologists and social pedagogues, cooperation with public and international organizations in providing psychological assistance to war victims, etc.

Scientists of the Department are founders and active members of a number of professional public associations, cooperate with many foreign and domestic public organizations. In general, scientists actively cooperate with 28 international professional organizations. Annually, international scientific events (congresses, conferences, seminars) are held with the involvement of foreign specialists.

Scientific institutions and members of the Department attach great importance to the strengthening of international scientific cooperation. Professional interaction is carried out with scientists and practitioners from 37 countries of the world. 10 international scientific and educational projects have been implemented.

Acting Academician-Secretary– Vitaliy Panok, Corresponding Member of the National Academy of Educational Sciences of Ukraine, Doctor of Science in Psychology, Professor, Director of the Ukrainian Scientific and Methodological Center of Practical Psychology and Social Work.

Academic Secretary - Tetyana Kulish, Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences, Senior Researcher.