On the influence of the epistemic culture of master's students in psychology and pedagogy on the quality of their self-educational activities

In the context of the current digital transformation of higher education, the quality of self-educational activity (hereinafter, SEA) has acquired existential significance for master's degree students majoring in psychology and pedagogical fields: it determines not only their professional competence but also the psychological safety of their future students. Epistemic culture (hereinafter, EC) is a set of norms, practices, tools, and meanings through which knowledge is formed and reproduced in the scientific and professional-educational environment. For master's degree students majoring in psychology and pedagogical fields, EC largely determines the quality of their self-educational activity: the depth and validity of learning, the ability to critically reflect, research autonomy, and the transfer of knowledge to professional practice. This article presents a theoretical and methodological analysis of the essence of EC of master's degree students studying in psychological and pedagogical fields; it examines the fundamental relationship between the level of development of EC of master's degree students and the effectiveness of their self-educational activity. Based on a systems analysis, the author substantiates that EC is not simply a background component of professional consciousness, but a key predictor of the quality of academic autonomy and metacognition in master's students. The paper proposes a theoretical model describing the mechanisms by which master's students' epistemic (scientific-cognitive) beliefs are transformed into practical skills for managing their cognition and self-education. Particular attention is paid to the subject-specific nature of epistemology in a psychological and pedagogical context, methods for developing a reflective research culture, and methods for assessing sustainable changes in master's students' epistemological beliefs. The author concludes that the quality of master's students' self-education is determined not by the volume of content consumed, but by the depth of its critical filtration through the sieve of epistemic awareness.