The Potential of the Portuguese Model of Philosophical Education for Ukrainian Educational Practice

Abstract

the study examines the organizational and methodological characteristics of philosophy education in the Portuguese education system and the content of the teaching tools used within it.

The aim of the study is to examine the potential value of the Portuguese model of philosophy education for understanding possible avenues for the development of Ukrainian educational practices.

The methods used to obtain relevant results include: a synthesis of the views of Ukrainian researchers on the content and form of philosophical education; an analysis of documents (legislative provisions, statistical data, curricula, and syllabi for philosophy-related courses); case study (analysis of the content of specific educational tools – textbooks used in the Portuguese education system).

Results: It has been established that the most significant feature of the formal aspect of the Portuguese model of teaching/studying philosophy is the broad range of students at the early stages of their education. It has been established that the content component of the «Philosophy» discipline in Portuguese secondary and higher education system involves a significant reliance on the English-language tradition of formulating and resolving philosophical problems.

Conclusions: The Portuguese experience in teaching and studying philosophy can be utilized by stakeholders in Ukraine’s education system to focus on: early engaging young people in basic philosophical education, a problem-based (rather than historical-philosophical) presentation of ideas, the development of a translation tradition, and enhanced foreign language study by future specialists, which will facilitate the integration of the body of philosophical ideas of Western civilization into the Ukrainian cultural context. However, outlining the possible path of philosophy education in Ukraine must take into account not only the need for European integration but also the necessity of preserving national identity.