Science for Education Today, 2026, vol. 16, no. 2, pp. 233–262
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The specifics of global issues and information challenges in education: Assessment of environmental, demographic, and health-saving factors (an international review)

Tsalikova I. K. 1 (Ishim, Russian Federation), Sabaeva N. I. 2 (Tyumen, Russian Federation), Kozlovtseva O. S. 2 (Tyumen, Russian Federation), Kungurova I. M. 2 (Tyumen, Russian Federation), Voronina E. V. 2 (Tyumen, Russian Federation), Pakhotina S. V. 1 (Ishim, Russian Federation)
1 Tyumen State University
2 University of Tyumen
Abstract: 

Introduction. The authors focus on the modern specifics of defining the content of global problems and their impact on social life (medicine, education). The purpose of the study is to identify whether the agenda of research investigations on global problems in education coincides in Russia and international countries with the focus on the period of 1988-2023.
Materials and Methods. In order to achieve the purpose of the review, 970 publications on the research topic were analyzed and five of the most referred works from the USA, Great Britain, Australia and Russia were selected for a comparative analysis of international and Russian scientific discourse. A qualitative content analysis of the most cited documents (1988-2023) was carried out to identify the main directions of the research agenda in the world and in individual countries. The results were summarized in the logic of comparative and cultural-historical approaches.
Results. The article presents a quantitative and qualitative analysis of research directions in the field of global problems and challenges in education based on the material of the most referred research publications from the USA, the United Kingdom, Australia (the largest number of research studies on the topic) and Russia (the 15th in the number of studies).
Despite the general focus of research in the leading countries of the world and in Russia, there is an asynchronous (not coincident in time with other countries) attention of Russian researchers to a particular topic, which is accompanied by a more general approach to the study, since the topic has not yet been studied in the country. Research on the issues of various minorities remains relevant (primarily as a globalization issue). Researchers are interested in equal rights to education (inclusion, in particular) as a global issue, distance education (especially due to the COVID-19 pandemic), and educational exchanges. Research on the advantages and disadvantages of transnational approaches to the educational content (curricula, programs) formation is a summary of the experience we have had so far.
Conclusions. The research agenda, being uniform for countries, is determined by the level of development of the sphere (inclusive, online education) and is determined by the state as the main player in educational policies. Researchers have not come to a consensus on whether the openness of educational institutions, guaranteed by unified curricula, is worth the loss of their cultural identity, which has been preserved by the efforts of the educational environment and insists on constant monitoring of continuous results. The influence of objective global circumstances (pandemics) on changes in the research agenda, considering climate, demography and healthcare issues is also traced.

Keywords: 

Global problems; Global challenges; Inclusive education; Cultural identity; Environmental factors; Health-saving factors.

For citation:
Tsalikova I. K., Sabaeva N. I., Kozlovtseva O. S., Kungurova I. M., Voronina E. V., Pakhotina S. V. The specifics of global issues and information challenges in education: Assessment of environmental, demographic, and health-saving factors (an international review). Science for Education Today, 2026, vol. 16, no. 2, pp. 233–262. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15293/2658-6762.2602.11
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Date of the publication 30.04.2026