Paideia in Ukraine: a critical examination of Eurocentric influences and educational transformation

Paideia in Ukraine: a critical examination of Eurocentric influences and educational transformation | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Paideia in Ukraine: a critical examination of Eurocentric influences and educational transformation Serhiy O. Semerikov, Pavlo P. Nechypurenko, Tetiana A. Vakaliuk, and 1 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6305075/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 10 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The concept of Paideia, which emerged from ancient Greek philosophical traditions, has undergone significant transformations in Ukraine's educational landscape. This paper critically examines the impact of Eurocentric influences on the concept of Paideia within the Ukrainian cultural and educational space, positioned at the crossroads of Eastern and Western philosophical traditions. Through a qualitative methodological approach combining in-depth interviews with key educational stakeholders and comprehensive analysis of scholarly literature, we investigate three interrelated dimensions: the historical and contemporary understanding of Paideia in Ukraine, the influence of European educational models on Ukraine's education system, and the resulting perceptions of Ukrainian cultural identity both domestically and internationally. Our findings reveal a complex interplay between Eurocentric transformations and Ukraine's educational traditions, highlighting both positive outcomes (modernization, standardization, and enhanced international integration) and concerning consequences (homogenization, centralization, and potential cultural erasure). Humanities/Cultural and media studies Humanities/History Humanities/Philosophy Social science/Cultural and media studies Social science/Education Social science/Science technology and society Paideia Eurocentric transformations Ukraine education system cultural identity postcolonial theory educational sovereignty cultural diplomacy educational policy Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 04 Mar, 2026 Reviews received at journal 13 Aug, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 23 Jul, 2025 Reviews received at journal 21 Jul, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 20 Jul, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 20 Jul, 2025 Editor invited by journal 09 Jun, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 09 Jun, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 14 Apr, 2025 First submitted to journal 25 Mar, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6305075","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":488246521,"identity":"b97fc66c-4561-4d22-bcf3-9d80b480eb4d","order_by":0,"name":"Serhiy O. Semerikov","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA00lEQVRIiWNgGAWjYNACgwQGBvYGEMOCFC08B0AMCaKtAWqRSAAxiNAi396d+LiiIE3O4Obzqxt+FEgw8Ld3J+B30pmzmw3PGOQYG9zOKbvZA3SYxJmzG/BrkcjdJtlgUJE4c3ZO2g0eoBagCH4t8vPfbv8J1jLzTNrNP8RoYbjBu42xwSAnsV+C/dhtomwxOJO7GeiwNGN+nhy22zIGEjwE/SLffnbjx4Y/yXJs7Mef3Xzzx0aOv72XgMMQgMcATBKrHATYH5CiehSMglEwCkYQAAC1vEbdVSgYagAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==","orcid":"","institution":"Kryvyi Rih State Pedagogical Univeristy","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Serhiy","middleName":"O.","lastName":"Semerikov","suffix":""},{"id":488246522,"identity":"7fc5974c-2f53-40e0-be58-c61c6edc6007","order_by":1,"name":"Pavlo P. Nechypurenko","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Kryvyi Rih State Pedagogical Univeristy","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Pavlo","middleName":"P.","lastName":"Nechypurenko","suffix":""},{"id":488246523,"identity":"bd852c06-8ae4-4013-86c8-f1da6c8d18f2","order_by":2,"name":"Tetiana A. Vakaliuk","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Zhytomyr Polytechnic State University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Tetiana","middleName":"A.","lastName":"Vakaliuk","suffix":""},{"id":488246524,"identity":"bd13c510-1cc8-40ec-992d-d80f61d4c9c8","order_by":3,"name":"Iryna S. Mintii","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Lviv Polytechnic National University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Iryna","middleName":"S.","lastName":"Mintii","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-03-25 15:08:24","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6305075/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6305075/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":87349502,"identity":"8df3abab-7522-4259-93be-c3f22f8c411a","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-07-23 03:13:24","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":308412,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"paper3v2.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6305075/v1_covered_996d5fcb-702d-48a1-a4c7-0892ba14d934.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Paideia in Ukraine: a critical examination of Eurocentric influences and educational transformation","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"humanities-and-social-sciences-communications","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"palcomms","sideBox":"Learn more about [Humanities \u0026 Social Sciences Communications](http://www.nature.com/palcomms/)","snPcode":"41599","submissionUrl":"https://submission.springernature.com/new-submission/41599/3","title":"Humanities and Social Sciences Communications","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Nature AJ","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false},"keywords":"Paideia, Eurocentric transformations, Ukraine, education system, cultural identity, postcolonial theory, educational sovereignty, cultural diplomacy, educational policy","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6305075/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6305075/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThe concept of Paideia, which emerged from ancient Greek philosophical traditions, has undergone significant transformations in Ukraine's educational landscape. This paper critically examines the impact of Eurocentric influences on the concept of Paideia within the Ukrainian cultural and educational space, positioned at the crossroads of Eastern and Western philosophical traditions. Through a qualitative methodological approach combining in-depth interviews with key educational stakeholders and comprehensive analysis of scholarly literature, we investigate three interrelated dimensions: the historical and contemporary understanding of Paideia in Ukraine, the influence of European educational models on Ukraine's education system, and the resulting perceptions of Ukrainian cultural identity both domestically and internationally. Our findings reveal a complex interplay between Eurocentric transformations and Ukraine's educational traditions, highlighting both positive outcomes (modernization, standardization, and enhanced international integration) and concerning consequences (homogenization, centralization, and potential cultural erasure).\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Paideia in Ukraine: a critical examination of Eurocentric influences and educational transformation","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-07-23 03:05:19","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6305075/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"decision","content":"Revision requested","date":"2026-03-04T12:22:26+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2025-08-13T11:34:27+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"313743643085083931975274873757662003381","date":"2025-07-23T07:52:31+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2025-07-21T04:08:19+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"49012022626522016374610819927933190123","date":"2025-07-21T03:46:57+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2025-07-20T22:21:32+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvited","content":"","date":"2025-06-09T15:28:57+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2025-06-09T15:27:30+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2025-04-14T21:09:56+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"Humanities and Social Sciences Communications","date":"2025-03-25T15:01:31+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"humanities-and-social-sciences-communications","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"palcomms","sideBox":"Learn more about [Humanities \u0026 Social Sciences Communications](http://www.nature.com/palcomms/)","snPcode":"41599","submissionUrl":"https://submission.springernature.com/new-submission/41599/3","title":"Humanities and Social Sciences Communications","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Nature AJ","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"f2d3a1a0-a230-44d1-a6f2-161c57850fe1","owner":[],"postedDate":"July 23rd, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"under-review","subjectAreas":[{"id":51824466,"name":"Humanities/Cultural and media studies"},{"id":51824467,"name":"Humanities/History"},{"id":51824468,"name":"Humanities/Philosophy"},{"id":51824469,"name":"Social science/Cultural and media studies"},{"id":51824470,"name":"Social science/Education"},{"id":51824471,"name":"Social science/Science technology and society"}],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-03-09T18:38:08+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2025-07-23 03:05:19","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-6305075","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-6305075","identity":"rs-6305075","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}