Attitude to uncertainty in students against the backdrop of post-COVID digital transformation of university education

Introduction. The article investigates the attitude to uncertainty in students against the backdrop of post- COVID digital transformation of university education. Materials and Methods. General theoretical methods were used as research methods: analysis of theoretical and practical sources, analysis of empirical studies, generalization, design. A pilot study was conducted among 182 students aged 20 to 30 using the McLane Uncertainty Tolerance Questionnaire (adapted by E. G. Lukovitskaya). Results. The study resulted in the classification of situations of uncertainty with unknown variables that emerge due to digitalization of education. These variables include: digital skills of students and teachers are not sufficient to work with different types of digital platforms; self-organization skills in students are not developed enough to achieve educational goals; no established patterns of interpersonal interaction among students; no formal or informal rules of digital ethics in digital educational environment; no rules or standards of digital hygiene for the stakeholders in education. Conclusions. The obtained data indicate that despite the ongoing digital transformation of university education, the indicators of the attitude towards uncertainty in students are within the age norm. The reason may be the students’ age as the period of mastering complex scientific and practice-oriented ways of cognizing the world as well as methods of obtaining and processing information. Another possible reason is that changes taking place in university education are not yet fully perceived by many students as situations of uncertainty. The reported data are obtained from local groups of students which does not allow for strong social and psychological predictions. A longitudinal study, however, is capable of determining the impact of uncertainty caused by the post-COVID digital transformation of university education on the attitude to uncertainty in youth.