Nadezhda A. Larina

The development of historical memory as a marker of national unity is a priority task in the modern educational and training process at pedagogical universities. The relevance of this study is determined by several interrelated factors: first, addressing the issues of historical memory and national unity; second, adapting them to the didactic framework and examining these issues within the educational paradigm; and third, integrating these issues into the educational process at the pedagogical university as an important criterion for assessing the development of the value system of future preschool and primary school teachers. The aim of the study is to find out the degree of students’ understanding of Russia's historical experience, its traditional values, the cultural and spiritual unity of its peoples, as well as the role of patriotism and historical memory in the development of national identity, taking into account the complex process of developing the professional and ethical culture of future teachers. The study is based on general scientific methods of analysis, synthesis, and questionnaires. These methods allowed us to examine the development of undergraduate students' understanding of Russia's historical experience as a marker of national unity, analyze the results, and formulate methodological recommendations for optimizing the educational process at a pedagogical university. The study concludes that developing a solid system of life values determines a person's civic position, their behavioral model, and, in general, their place in society and role in the country, especially when it comes to teachers. For this process to be successful and fruitful, teachers themselves must embody the ideological system and possess the competences that, by virtue of their professional activities, they will be expected to develop in students, shaping their civic, moral, and social position. The theoretical significance of the study lies in its addressing the issues of historical memory and national unity within the educational paradigm. The practical significance lies in the compilation of a questionnaire that identifies the level of development of students' system of moral and ethical values and the development of recommendations for optimizing the process of their formation as the basic foundation of the professional and ethical culture of a teacher.