The Theological and Anthropological Ideas of Konstantin Ushinsky and the Socio-Humanistic Core of the New Model of Russian Education

The authors of this article examine the conceptual and methodological legacy of Konstantin Dmitrievich Ushinsky and its significance for shaping the socio-humanistic foundations of contemporary Russian education. The discussion is framed within the ongoing reform of higher education in Russia, which seeks to move beyond the limitations of the Bologna system and develop a nationally grounded model. The importance of this study is highlighted by the strategic character of the reform (initiated by Presidential Decrees No. 809 of November 9, 2022, and No. 343 of May 12, 2023, as well as the Presidential Address to the Federal Assembly in 2023), which requires a methodological basis for integrating the best practices of the Soviet period, current socioeconomic demands, and enduring cultural and moral values.

The analysis draws on regulatory and legal documents and official public addresses, situating them alongside Konstantin Ushinsky’s central ideas: the principle of narodnost’ (national character), the anthropological approach, and the role of family. The article also provides a theological and pedagogical examination of the ontological and axiological dimensions of Ushinsky’s system, including its theological underpinnings; and, through contextual analysis, demonstrates the continuity of Ushinsky’s thought within contemporary educational policy and cultural discourse.

The study argues that the current model of Russian education, though oriented toward flexibility, stronger fundamental training, and the integration of economic needs with individual learning pathways, lacks a sufficiently articulated value and worldview framework. Ushinsky’s pedagogical system provides such a methodological framework, being based on the anthropological approach (“understanding the human being in every respect, in order to educate them in every respect”), the principle of narodnost’ (“the alignment of education with the historical and cultural character of a people”), and the recognition of the family as the axiological foundation of moral and intellectual development (“the first school of morality”). Ushinsky’s ideas organically incorporate the Orthodox worldview as a cultural code transmitted through living tradition rather than abstract instruction, which is particularly relevant for shaping the sociohumanistic core of contemporary education. His synthesis of pedagogy with the principles of Orthodox anthropology offers an alternative to technocratic approaches and supports cultural sovereignty, with the teacher’s moral integrity serving as a central imperative.

The findings have practical relevance for developing a universal socio-humanistic core of modern education. Theoretically, they demonstrate the necessity of integrating historical and pedagogical heritage (particularly Ushinsky’s ontologically holistic model) with traditional cultural and moral values in the methodology of contemporary Russian educational policy, thereby reinforcing its resilience against the challenges of value relativism. The study confirms that genuine education is the holistic formation of personality, requiring the teacher to serve as a “living bridge” between tradition and innovation.

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