The multidimensional nature of the notion «system» is conditioned by a wide range of factors applied in philosophical, pedagogical and social studies. The review of scientific and encyclopaedic literature on systemic research confirmed the versatility of approaches to the definition of “system”. The purpose of the article is theoretical analysis of scientific approaches to the concept «system», characterization of system types in the context of pedagogical research. The determined approaches to this category in the scientific theory and practice allow considering the system as an orderly classification of interrelated elements which, interacting with the environment, form a holistic system, constitute a set of interacting elements oriented towards the achievement of a specific goal. It has been defined that a set of components oriented towards the goal determines the basis of the research system and systematic research methods. It has been determined in the article that autonomy in choosing ways of action on the basis of the developed criteria is the characteristic feature of purposeful systems. During the research, the importance of introducing the systematic approach to modern pedagogical science was emphasized, in particular the problem of forming social activity of youth in the institutions of civil society. The systematic approach involves performing a number of tasks: developing system goals; constructing objects as a system; building models of the system; determining system properties; studying the functioning of the system. In the context of our study, it is worth noting that the social, pedagogical, social-pedagogical and innovative systems that justify a number of principles, features and characteristics that are considered relevant during the formation of social activity contribute to the development of the system enabling the development of young people’s social activity. The analysis of the scientific-pedagogical literature made it possible to identify the main characteristics of these systems. According to the results of theoretical analysis, the concept and development stage of the system enabling the formation of young people’s social activity in the institutions of civil society were determined. Keywords: system, systematic approach, pedagogical system, innovative system, social-pedagogical system, youth.