Criteria and Indicators for Assessing the Development of Historical Thinking Among University Students

This article examines the pedagogical and diagnostic system for developing historical thinking among university students and determining the levels of its formation. Moving away from traditional assessment methods based primarily on memorization and reproduction of factual information, the study substantiates four structural criteria that allow for an objective assessment of students’ intellectual development: motivational-value, cognitive-gnostic, operational-activity, and axiological-reflective criteria, together with their respective indicators. The article also classifies students’ cognitive potential into three levels: low (reproductive), medium (interpretative-analytical), and high (creative-transformative), and describes the specific qualitative characteristics of each level. In addition, methodological recommendations are proposed for modernizing the educational process in higher education through problem-based case studies and historical source analysis, as well as for identifying and overcoming students’ intellectual barriers.