Place Names as Carriers of National Values: Educational Potential for University Students

The education of young people in the spirit of national and universal values is one of the priorities of the educational policy of Uzbekistan, reflected in the Concept of Continuous Spiritual Education (2019) and the “Uzbekistan – 2030” Strategy. Effective values education requires content that is both culturally rich and close to the learner’s experience. Place names (toponyms) meet both conditions: they are part of everyday speech, yet each of them preserves information about history, landscape and the worldview of the people who created it (Qorayev, 2006; Superanskaya, 1985).

An analysis of toponyms of Andijan region makes it possible to identify several value clusters. The first is love for the homeland and historical memory: names such as Shahrixon ("khan's city") and Xonobod ("khan's settlement") recall the history of statehood in the Fergana Valley. The second is care for nature and water: names such as Buloqboshi ("head of the spring") and Oltinko‘l ("golden lake") show how highly ancestors valued water in an irrigated land (Nafasov, 1988). The third is community and kinship, reflected in names with the element -obod ("settlement") built on the names of groups, such as Xo‘jaobod. The fourth is moral ideals, expressed directly in evaluative names such as Marhamat ("mercy") and Bo‘ston ("garden").

These clusters correspond to universal values described in psychology, such as benevolence, tradition and universalism (Schwartz, 1992). This correspondence allows teachers to move from a national form of a value to its universal meaning. For example, discussing the name Marhamat, students first speak about mercy in Uzbek culture and then about mercy as a value shared by all humanity.

Educational Implementation & Activities

The educational potential of place names can be realised through the following activities: (1) small research projects in which students investigate the origin of names in their home district; (2) reflective essays on the values expressed in these names; (3) discussions and debates on the preservation of historical names, which develop civic responsibility; (4) presentations in a foreign language, which link values education with language learning. Following Lickona (1991), such activities involve moral knowing, feeling and action at the same time.

Conclusion

In conclusion, place names are a natural and accessible carrier of national values. Their purposeful use in higher education helps students understand the history of their native land, form a conscious attitude to national values and recognise their universal meaning. This creates a basis for a pedagogical concept of developing students’ values and intercultural competence on the basis of toponymic heritage.