DEVELOPING INDEPENDENT THINKING COMPETENCE OF ENGLISH PHILOLOGY STUDENTS BASED ON ALEXANDER NEILL’S PEDAGOGICAL VIEWS
Keywords:
Alexander Neill, Summerhill, educational freedom, English philology, independent thinking, critical thinking, learner autonomy, reflection.Abstract
The article examines Alexander Sutherland Neill’s ideas of educational freedom,
personal choice, democratic participation and responsibility as a conceptual basis for
developing independent thinking competence among English philology students.
Independent thinking is interpreted as an integration of analytical, argumentative,
reflective and autonomous components. The study argues for a pedagogical
transformation rather than a mechanical transfer of Summerhill principles to higher
education and discusses choice-based tasks, problem questions, alternative
interpretation, evidence-based discussion and reflective assessment as appropriate tools
for philological training.
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