Participation of students in socially useful projects as a mechanism for developing a socially responsible personality

This article examines students’ participation in community-oriented projects as a mechanism of fostering social responsibility. The relevance of this study is determined by the need to involve students in tackling socially significant issues through project teams, mentoring, and social partnerships. This article aims to identify the organizational conditions and empirical relationship between participation in project activities and students’ social responsibility. The methodological foundation consists of reviewing scholarly approaches to social re-sponsibility, social project development, volunteering, community engagement, and service-learning, along with an original survey conducted with students. Empirical base of study covers 217 questionnaires from first- to third-year students. The survey includes 10 empirical indicators focusing on participation experience, motivation, perceived developmental outcomes, willingness to take responsibility for project results, understanding of social issues, civic attitudes, and the role of project activities in developing social responsibility. The results suggest that 65.9% of students participated in project activities either voluntarily on an active basis or as part of a mandatory program. Among those who participated actively, the mean score on the social responsibility index is 80.3%. Correlation analysis showed a statistically significant positive relationship between the intensity of participation in project activities and the social responsibility index (ρ = 0.375; p < 0.001). The practical importance of this study consists in identifying a mechanism where a faculty mentor and a social partner help define the social needs to address, coordinate teamwork, provide resources, and assess of the social result.

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