У статті визначено теоретичні передумови формування уявлень про сутність економічного виховання у світовій педагогіці. Визначено основні підходи та орієнтири провідних західних дослідників на сутності економічного виховання. Виокремлено споріднені психолого-педагогічні категорії: «економічне виховання», «економічна освіта», «економічна компетентність», «економічна підготовка», «економічна свідомість», «економічне мислення», «економічна культура», «економічна соціалізація» тощо. Охарактеризовано підходи науковців до визначення терміну «економічне виховання» та споріднених категорій. Запропоновано авторський підхід до змістовного наповнення економічного виховання з урахуванням причинно-наслідкового взаємозв’язку споріднених із ним категорій.
The article defines the theoretical prerequisites for the formation of ideas about the essence of economic education in world pedagogy. The main approaches and orientations to the formation of the essence of economic education in early and later pedagogical studies are determined. A comparative analysis of the practice of economic education in leading European countries, the USA and Japan was carried out. The practice of forming elementary economic concepts in children (goods, money, price, market, etc.) in these countries was studied. It was determined that the European, American and Japanese educational programs of schoolchildren contain enough information that helps to form in them an understanding of the essence of economic needs, skills in handling money, planning expenses, orienting in basic economic terms, and also fosters respect for private property and fair conditions competition and to persons who know how to work in various areas of business, etc. Two main approaches to defining economic education have been formed: cognitive and psychological. The first of them characterizes economic education as a pedagogical activity for the transfer of knowledge, abilities, and skills in the field of economic behavior, and the second is a psychological influence on the formation of economic thinking. Related psychological and pedagogical categories are singled out: "economic education", "economic education", "economic competence", "economic training", "economic consciousness", "economic thinking", "economic culture", "economic socialization", etc. The approaches of scientists to the definition of the term "economic education" and related categories are characterized. The relationship between these categories is substantiated. An author's approach to the meaningful content of economic education is proposed, taking into account the cause-and-effect relationship of categories related to it. Economic needs and interests are defined as the reason (driving force) that forces a person to resort to the development of economic knowledge, abilities and skills through economic education. At the same time, the main goal of economic education of the individual is proposed to be the formation of economic competence, its main results are the formation of economic consciousness, economic thinking and economic socialization, and the consequences are the influence on the level of economic culture and economic behavior of the individual.