Regional History in Modern Russian School Textbooks in the Context of introducing an Activity-Based Approach

Aim. To examine the history of attempts to implement an activity-based approach to studying Russian regional history in Soviet, post-Soviet, and modern Russia.

Methodology. The study conducted a comparative analysis of textbooks and elements of educational and methodological complexes over approximately one hundred years, from the 1920s to the 2020s. The study focused on textbooks, workbooks, and practical exercises that attempted to offer an alternative approach to teaching students about both national and regional history, rather than the traditional narrative approach. A historical-genetic approach was used to identify the content and methodological connections between different textbooks.

Results. A study of a range of textbooks from the 1920s to the 2020s revealed several stages at which attempts were made to introduce an activity-based approach to the study of general national and regional history. There has been an obvious shift in the last quarter of the century towards a more multilateral and active implementation of an activity-based approach in teaching general and regional history, as well as the involvement of such aspects of regional history as the history of spiritual life, the political struggle of the 1920s – 1930s, and the problems of social inequality and revolutionary struggle in the pre-revolutionary period. At the same time, attention remains focused on the feat of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War, the role of outstanding cultural and artistic figures.

Research implications. The data presented in the article can be used for further research in the field of studying regional history within the framework of school education. In addition, the history of implementing an activity-based approach in teaching history at school provides an opportunity to use the most successful practical achievements in the modern educational process.

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