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Sustainable Shift from Centralized to Participatory Higher Education in Post-Soviet Countries: A Systematic Literature Review

Author

Listed:
  • Hasmik Hovakimyan

    (Institute for Sustainable Economic Development, Department of Economics and Social Sciences, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, 1180 Vienna, Austria)

  • Milena Klimek

    (Division of Organic Farming, Department of Sustainable Agricultural Systems, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, 1180 Vienna, Austria)

  • Bernhard Freyer

    (Division of Organic Farming, Department of Sustainable Agricultural Systems, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, 1180 Vienna, Austria)

  • Ruben Hayrapetyan

    (Department of Management, Armenian State University of Economics, Yerevan 0025, Armenia)

Abstract

Since the fall of the Soviet Union, higher education (HE) in post-Soviet reality continues to face complex challenges, including hierarchical structures, antiquated teaching methods, and lack of international standards. In the meantime, in the US and in Europe, HE has recently focused on participatory curriculum development (PCD) and programs that seek to directly connect student learning to “real-world” problems, accelerating positive change in curricula and through their contributions to regional communities. Accepted into the Bologna Process—the standardization of European HE—Armenian HE institutions struggle to satisfy requirements and related sustainable development goals with centralized standards, inhibiting them from being internationally competitive and regional sustainability change agents. In this article, we examine post-Soviet HE development since 1991 and challenges, with a particular focus on Armenia; what participatory curriculum building may offer; and how it contributes to HE and regional sustainability transitions. A systematic literature review was applied, using specific combinations of important terms restricting the search with criteria such as language, year of publication, and descriptive or critical in nature. The results illustrate the status quo of post-Soviet HE, synthesize current barriers of HE as potential change agents, and highlight PCD as a way to overcome these barriers.

Suggested Citation

  • Hasmik Hovakimyan & Milena Klimek & Bernhard Freyer & Ruben Hayrapetyan, 2021. "Sustainable Shift from Centralized to Participatory Higher Education in Post-Soviet Countries: A Systematic Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(10), pages 1-20, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:10:p:5536-:d:555407
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Gisela Cebrián & Mercè Junyent & Ingrid Mulà, 2020. "Competencies in Education for Sustainable Development: Emerging Teaching and Research Developments," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-9, January.
    2. Corinne Ruesch Schweizer & Antonietta Di Giulio & Patricia Burkhardt-Holm, 2019. "Scientific Support for Redesigning a Higher-Education Curriculum on Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(21), pages 1-18, October.
    3. Tigran Keryan & Andreas Muhar & Tamara Mitrofanenko & Ashot Khoetsyan & Verena Radinger-Peer, 2020. "Towards Implementing Transdisciplinarity in Post-Soviet Academic Systems: An Investigation of the Societal Role of Universities in Armenia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(20), pages 1-19, October.
    4. David Moher & Alessandro Liberati & Jennifer Tetzlaff & Douglas G Altman & The PRISMA Group, 2009. "Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses: The PRISMA Statement," PLOS Medicine, Public Library of Science, vol. 6(7), pages 1-6, July.
    5. Carmen Solís-Espallargas & Jorge Ruiz-Morales & Dolores Limón-Domínguez & Rocío Valderrama-Hernández, 2019. "Sustainability in the University: A Study of Its Presence in Curricula, Teachers and Students of Education," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(23), pages 1-14, November.
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    Cited by:

    1. Daniel Schiller & Verena Radinger-Peer, 2021. "Introduction: The Role of Universities in Regional Transitions towards Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(14), pages 1-4, July.
    2. Hasmik Hovakimyan & Milena Klimek & Bernhard Freyer & Stefan Vogel, 2021. "Participation in Higher Education Curricula Development in Armenia and Possible Effects for the Labour Market—The Case of an “Organic Agriculture” Master’s Program," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 10(9), pages 1-15, September.
    3. Oleksiyenko, Anatoly V., 2023. "Geopolitical agendas and internationalization of post-soviet higher education: Discursive dilemmas in the realm of the prestige economy," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).

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