Pedagogical and Psychological Features of Developing Ecological Culture in Future Agricultural Specialists

Agricultural specialists make daily decisions about soil, water, chemicals and biodiversity, so the ecological culture of future agronomists, land managers and agricultural engineers directly shapes the sustainability of the sector. Higher education, however, often transfers ecological knowledge without developing the values, motivation and behavioral habits that turn knowledge into practice. This study identifies the pedagogical and psychological features of developing ecological culture in students of agricultural higher education institutions and tests an integrated educational model built on them. Ecological culture was assessed through cognitive, emotional-value, motivational and behavioral components using a questionnaire, a scale of environmental attitudes, a self-efficacy scale and a behavior checklist. The experimental group studied under a model combining problem-based learning, field practice, reflection and project work. After the intervention, the experimental group showed greater gains than the control group on all four components, with the largest differences in the emotional-value and behavioral components [exact values to be inserted]. Ecological culture develops effectively when cognitive instruction is combined with emotional engagement, autonomy-supportive teaching and authentic professional practice. The proposed model can be integrated into agricultural curricula.