Editorial for Special Issue: Transformation of Educational Policy, Theory and Practice in Post-Soviet Social Studies Education

Year 2017, Volume: 8 Issue: 2, 0 - 0, 28.09.2017

Bülent Tarman , Oksana Chigisheva

Abstract

More than half a century has passed since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 2001 that led not only to deep geopolitical, economic and social changes but also stimulated transformations in the educational sector of most post-Soviet states. Having common background and historical roots national educational systems of most of these countries were modifying their past experience under the influence of modernization strategies and internationalization processes after signing Bologna Agreements in the first half of the XXI century. Thus, this Special Issue is an attempt to trace retrospectively the changes that took place on the post-Soviet territory using social studies education as an example with a focus on educational policy, theory and practice. It seems reasonable and worthy as it provides multifaceted comparative perspective of the development within this field during the periods of transition, stabilization and potential growth. Under social studies education we understand integrated and systemic teaching and learning experience in such disciplines as anthropology, archaeology, economics, history, geography, philosophy, psychology, pedagogy, religion and sociology.
The eleven articles in this Special Issue focus on the topics within the following general strands:
• transformation of post-Soviet social studies education curriculum under the influence of modernization and internationalization processes;
• enhancing instruction in post-Soviet social studies education;
• emergence of new assessment methods and techniques in post-Soviet social Sstudies education;
• diversification of curriculum, instruction and assessment for various categories of learners in social studies education;
• professional development of new age social studies researchers from post-Soviet states.