Educational Theory in the 21st Century

Abstract

This chapter describes the structural features and problem areas of modern education systems, then discusses new social and educational ideas that offer solutions to these problems. From the nineteenth to the twenty-first century, information was given on the social models and educational systems that coincided with the turning points of industrial developments. While factory organization as characterized by mass production and nation-state citizenship shaped the education system of industrial societies, digitization and its values have left their mark on educational systems in the information society. Advanced technological developments in areas such as nanotechnology, biotechnology, or the Internet of things have led to a techno-futuristic model of society being placed on the agenda. In this context, we pursue the questions of how new technologies are changing the education system and what kind of solutions they are offering to its problems for education in future societies. New technologies are argued to have not eliminated the basic problems we must deal with in the contemporary world such as equal opportunity in education and student-centered education.