Impact of the Combination of Natural Sciences and the Humanities on the Quality of Modern Education

The paper relates to the relevance of the implementation of the integrated approach to building the higher education system. The research aimed to investigate the features of the combination of natural sciences and the humanities and consequences on the quality of higher education. One-hundred and twenty-four (124) students in their first and second years of study (bachelor’s degree) from a Faculty of Natural Sciences and Geography, 29 teachers, and 15 independent experts took part in the experiment. The study was designed as a semi-experimental study that included both quantitative and qualitative methods. This included the method of self-reflective notes and expert evaluations, online questionnaires (Google Forms, Likert scale), and statistical data processing. Descriptive, content, and qualitative analysis was used for data interpretation. In general, the parties involved evaluated the concept, course, and results of the experiment positively. According to the evaluation results, the students (the focus group) evaluated the prospects of the integrated model positively. The teachers were the most optimistic in their predictions about the potential of integrated teaching to influence the quality of education, and the experts gave a medium score. The main difficulties were related to the establishment of appropriate conditions for cooperation in the context of distance learning and the need to work more intensively than under the traditional autonomous teaching of disciplines. Therefore, the combination of natural sciences and the humanities positively affects the quality of modern higher education during high-quality implementation of the innovative educational model. The study contributes to the present discussions about approaches of reforming and developing the HEI educational paradigm.