The COVID-19 pandemic has launched school digital transformation with educational technologies implemented in classrooms worldwide. Teachers and learners have faced the challenges of adaptation to a new mode – digitally-based distance teaching and learning. In this regard, a question arises, whether schools have adapted successfully to new digitally-based distance learning or failed. Therefore, the research is focused on revealing the trends in schools’ digital adaptation and transformation during the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide. The research issue is solved due to a combination of various approaches, e.g. a qualitative content analysis of documents published online in 2020-2021 and conducting surveys and interviews of students at Ukrainian schools from December 2020 to February 2021. These approaches make it possible to reveal positive and negative trends in school digital transformation at macro- and micro levels from the perspective of pandemic-related measures on international and national levels, as well as students’ perception of emergency distance learning. The research presents the ranks of countries in line with the accessibility and affordability of EdTech having been implemented in schools in crisis. Moreover, the research discusses the following issues: the COVID-19 pandemic impact on schools and school-related measures, EdTech implementation in classroom and schools’ digital transition, digital divide and inequity in education, generation gap, learning loss and achievement gap, teacher’s creativity and methodology shift. The collected data supports theoretical insights about trends in school education during the pandemic. The principal findings of the research are that the emergency integration of information technology in school education has changed the traditional way of teaching and learning worldwide. EdTech implementation encourages teachers to provide creative teaching and develop novel approaches to meet Net generation students’ needs in a virtual educational environment. The research results can contribute to policymaking and strategy development of further school digital transformation in times of crisis.

The paper analyses the impact of globalization and technological development of society on scientific activity, education system, organization and technologies of the educational process; pedagogical priorities of digitalization of education are identified: joining the efforts of scientists and practitioners for a comprehensive analysis and interdisciplinary solutions of modern problems of digital educational environment, pedagogical principles of digitalization of education; formulation of conceptual provisions of digital pedagogy and definition of the basic pedagogical concepts of digital education, development of digital didactics, revision of forms, methods, means and technologies of teaching, education and development of the learner in digital space; identification of features and directions of education of children and youth in the digital environment, new forms and approaches to organizing the educational impact on children and youth in the digital environment, outlining the risks of digitalization of education and means of overcoming them; it is shown that the mission of modern education is to provide society and every citizen with a transition to a digital age focusing on different tools, different living environment and training not only young people but also middle-aged and older people for new types and kinds of work.

The publication provides a comprehensive analysis of the state and development of national education over the 30 years of Ukraine’s independence, identifies current problems in education, ascertains the causes of their emergence, offers scientifically reasoned ways to modernise domestic education in the context of globalisation, European integration, innovative development, and national self-identification. Designed for legislators, state officials, education institutions leaders, teaching and academic staff, the general public, all those who seek to increase the competitiveness of Ukrainian education in the context of civilisation changes.

Cultural problems of education in pedagogical research of Ukrainian and Polish scientistsMulticulturalism is the wealth and an opportunity to develop every society and every individual, but it can also be a source of conflict, wars, tragedies.The means of preparing people for life in a multicultural world should become an education Tadeusz LewowickiStreszczenie: W artykule dokonano analizy badań pedagogicznych prowadzonych przez ukraińskich i polskich naukowców, dotyczących problemów kulturologicznych edukacji. Wykazano, że na Ukrainie problemy kulturologiczne edukacji stają się coraz bardziej powszechne, odbywa się stopniowe rozgraniczenie treści pojęć edukacji wielokulturowej i międzykulturowej, problemy edukacji międzykulturowej coraz częściej znajdują odzwierciedlenie w badaniach naukowych i praktyce dydaktycznej. Ważne znaczenie w rozwoju zagadnień kulturologicznych w badaniach pedagogicznych ma rozwój nowego kierunku zintegrowanych badań naukowych na Ukrainie -oświatologii oraz jej części składowej -edukacji kulturologicznej. Badania polskich naukowców opierają się na znaczących osiągnięciach polskiej nauki pedagogicznej i praktyce w zakresie wdrażania podejścia kulturologicznego w edukacji. Szczególną uwagę w badaniach polskich naukowców zwraca się na edukację wielokulturową oraz międzykulturową na pograniczu; na kształtowanie wielowymiarowej tożsamości człowieka; na różne aspekty teorii i metodyki edukacji międzykulturowej. Do rozwiązywania problemów edukacji wielokulturowej w Polsce przyczynia się wyraźne rozgraniczenie pojęć edukacji wielokulturowej i międzykulturowej, określenie na poziomie ustawodawczym pojęć mniejszości narodowej, grupy etnicznej i in.Słowa kluczowe: edukacja wielokulturowa, edukacja międzykulturowa, wielowymiarowa tożsamość, mniejszość narodowa, grupa etniczna EDUKACJA MIĘDZYKULTUROWA 2015, nr 4

The article explores how higher education in Ukraine has responded to the COVID‐19 pandemic, particularly in the case of the Borys Grinchenko Kyiv University’s experience. The research provides a comparative analysis of national transformation trends at various levels – HEIs, lecturers and students during two waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. It covers two timeline periods: March-May 2020 – the 1-st wave (summer semester); October 2020-January 2021 – the 2-nd wave (winter semester). The research reveals the COVID-19 pandemic impact on Ukrainian higher education in 2020. It presents trends in national HEIs transformation, lecturers and students’ perception of education and exams online. Based on the literature review and conducting surveys (514 students/97 lecturers), the study makes it possible to reveal universal consequences caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in higher education systems worldwide as well as specific trends in national higher education emergency transition to digitally-based teaching-learning. The research shows that global higher education systems faced the COVID-19 pandemic in different conditions due to various technical facilities, governmental and institutional support, financial investment, digitally competent academic staff, students familiar with educational technology. The “better prepared” higher education systems are likely to cope with the Coronavirus impact easier and transit to digitally-based distance teaching-learning smoothly. Ukrainian higher education met the COVID-19 pandemic unready. Though some national HEIs have managed to re-organise the educational process smoothly and effectively due to the academic staff’s enthusiasm and colossal effort. In this regard, positive and negative trends are revealed in the national higher education emergency transition to digitally-based distance learning. The findings contribute to the investigation of higher education transformation in crisis and confirm that the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated higher education digitalisation worldwide.