Competition of educational and research projects of natural science orientation as a means of developing the cognitive interest of pedagogical university students

The development of the interest of students of humanitarian profiles in preparation for obtaining natural science knowledge is an urgent problem of the modern higher pedagogical school. There is a constant search and testing of techniques, means and methods to solve this problem. The article considers the competition of educational and research projects of natural science orientation as a means of developing students' cognitive interest. The authors shared their experience of organizing and conducting such a competition at a pedagogical university, as well as the results of its impact on the attitude of future teachers to obtaining scientific knowledge about the world around them. Examples of topics of educational and research projects of a natural science orientation, carried out by students studying in the humanities, as well as a list of questions that were asked to students in order to identify the nature of their attitude to the study of natural sciences, are presented. The conducted research confirmed the positive role of the competition of educational and research projects in solving the problem of developing the cognitive interest of students of a pedagogical university. The presented materials can serve as a basis for further research in the field of teaching methods of various university disciplines and the organization of independent work of students in higher education.