Prolegomenons of Research Education

Abstract

Research education is a key institution in the knowledge society and a tool for its construction and development. Its full-fledged formation is the main task in our days that requires disclosure of its underlying beginnings. This work summarizes findings of the author's research studies over two decades that makes him possi­ble to the problem in its essence. Identified and disclosed prolegomenons of re­search education are the following: the relation between learning and truth, the generativity of learning, the fundamental principles of generative didactics, the socio-cognitive structure of knowledge society. It is shown that the attitude to truth determines the essence of research education, where research is taken as a search for truth, is the constitutive basis of research-type behavior and prede­termines the transformative framework of learning. Origins of the “generative learning” concept are studied, its differences from adaptive learning are ana­lyzed, and its role is defined as a fundamental condition of research education opportunity. Cognitive flexibility, cognitive generativity, sociocultural interac­tion of learning are presented as fundamental principles of generative didactics.