Abstract: Individual study is the cornerstone of the modern education system, which is connected, among other things, with the need for lifelong learning.
At the same time, a modern student combines educational activities not only with leisure, but also with work and professional development, which explains the research interest in the problem of students choosing a model of independent academic work.
Based on the results of existing domestic and foreign studies of students' individual academic work, the authors conducted their own sociological research, the empirical object of which was students of the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation. The subject of the sociological research is the individual educational work of students of higher educational institutions. The purpose of the study is to identify models of student's independent academic work. The sociological research consisted of two stages: qualitative and quantitative.
During the qualitative stage of the study, 10 in-depth interviews were conducted. During the quantitative stage of the study, a questionnaire survey was conducted (n = 100). The inability to analyze the choice of a model of independent academic work without taking into account the lifestyle and life priorities of the student determined the novelty of this study, in which independent academic work is considered as part of the life of a modern student. The description of models of independent/individual academic work of students is made in the study: students motivation in their individual studies and students motivation by non-academic activities. The criteria for highlighting the models are the ability to organize independent educational work and the level of educational motivation, which were analyzed based on the respondents' answers about their academic performance, self-organization of studies and the desire to change the current approach to educational activities. Authors affirm that the priorities and strategic goals of a student determine the choice of a particular model of independent academic work.
Students vary the amount of time for independent work depending on how they currently set their life priorities. Understanding the behavioral models of students makes it possible to increase the efficiency a of the educational process, which explains the practical significance of this study, the results of which can be used as an information base, both for further research and for the effective organization of independent work of students.