General Information
The Department of Theory and Methods of Primary Education was established at the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics of Kalmyk State University in 1985.
Department Faculty:
In the 1985–86 academic year, the “Primary School Teacher” program was launched, enrolling 25 full-time students.
Thanks largely to the work of this department, the Pedagogical Faculty was established in 1987, with Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences, Associate Professor Vasily Ivanovich Kolodko, appointed as Dean.
During the first two years, the program “Pedagogy and Methods of Primary Education” was taught by faculty from various departments. Core subjects such as Russian language and Children’s Literature were taught by T. S. Yesinova and D. A. Chonaeva. Mathematics was taught by R. B. Basangova, Zoology by E. B. Gabunshchina, Human Physiology by I. I. Ushaev, Botany by L. U. Tsedanova, and Earth and Regional Studies by Z. N. Belousova.
In the 1987–88 academic year, the Department of Pedagogy and Methods of Primary Education was officially established, bringing together experienced associate professors N. U. Bakbusheva, V. F. Efremova, I. U. Ilishkina, assistants L. U. Tsedanova, O. A. Krasnokutskaya, I. G. Manzhieva, N. D. Petrashova, V. I. Belyuchenko, and senior lab assistant I. B. Shalkhakova Ushaev.
At different times, the Faculty was led by Deans: A. B. Pankin, Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences, Professor; N. G. Mantsaev, Candidate of Mathematical Sciences; and since 2006, Z. O. Kekeeva, Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences, Professor.
In 2003, Professor Arkady Borisovich Pankin, Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences, was appointed Head of the Department, a position he continues to hold. The department has been known at different times as the Department of Primary Education and Special Methods, Department of Pedagogy and Innovative Education Methods, and Department of Pedagogy. In recent years, its staff has been strengthened by young promising faculty members, many of whom are alumni of the department: S. A. Kikeeva, M. A. Lidzhieva, E. V. Mandzhieva (all Candidates of Pedagogical Sciences).
From 2003 to 2010, significant work at the department was carried out by Academician of the Russian Academy of Education, Professor Gennady Nikandrovich Volkov, who headed the Research Laboratory of Ethnopedagogical Innovations and greatly contributed to strengthening the department’s scientific and methodological foundation.
Research Laboratory of Ethnopedagogical Innovations
By the order of the Rector of KSU No. 1352 dated September 2, 2004, the Research Laboratory of Ethnopedagogical Innovations was established to systematize ethnopedagogical values of the peoples of the Russian Federation, provide a comprehensive presentation of ethnopedagogical and ethnocultural ideas and ideals, and integrate them into innovative approaches to student training. The laboratory combines research activities with practical student learning based on staff investigations.
The Laboratory carries out the following functions:
- Plans research work in accordance with the university’s overall research program;
- Ensures timely and high-quality implementation of approved research projects;
- Reviews incoming research papers related to the laboratory’s thematic focus;
- Establishes and develops professional contacts with other ethnopedagogical laboratories, scientific schools, and institutions in Russia;
- Studies and summarizes experience in ethnopedagogy, ethnopsychology, ethnophilosophy, ethnocultural studies, and other interdisciplinary sciences for application in the educational process of institutions in the Republic of Kalmykia.
The Laboratory holds regular meetings twice a month, with high participation and engagement. Faculty from KSU, secondary professional education institutions, school teachers from Kalmykia, representatives of public organizations, postgraduate students, and research candidates participate in these meetings. Reports are presented on ongoing and completed research projects. Four doctoral and thirty-two candidate dissertations have been prepared and defended. The Laboratory continues to expand collaboration with universities and research centers in Russia, supervising 24 postgraduate students and numerous research candidates. Together with the Ministry of Education and Science of Kalmykia, it organizes annual scientific-practical conferences titled “Ethnopedagogy in a Multicultural Environment.”
Main Research Areas
- Pedagogy
- Ethnopedagogy
- Continuous Education Systems
Research Interests
- Pedagogy
- Management of Educational Systems
- Ethnocultural Context in Continuous Education
Research Collaborations
- Armavir State University
- Astrakhan State University
- Atyrau State University (Republic of Kazakhstan)
- Buryat State University
- Volgograd State Pedagogical University
- Eurasian National University named after L. N. Gumilyov
- Moscow State Psychological and Social Institute
- Nevinnomyssk Institute of Economics, Management and Law
- Pyatigorsk State Linguistic University
- North-Eastern Federal University (Yakutia)
- Stavropol State University
- Tuvan State University
- Khovd State University (Mongolia)
- Chuvash State Pedagogical University named after I. Y. Yakovlev