EDUCATIONAL STRATEGIES: CONCEPTUAL AND CATEGORICAL UNDERSTANDING OF THE DIDACTIC PHENOMENON

Abstract

The article presents an in-depth theoretical and methodological analysis of the concept of “educational strategy” as an independent didactic category that integrates cognitive, metacognitive, psychological, pedagogical, managerial, and axiological dimensions of the educational process. The current stage of educational development is characterized by a shift from a method-centric to a system-strategic paradigm, in which strategy is viewed not as a set of discrete methods but as a mechanism for forecasting, planning, and achieving educational goals. The strategic approach ensures coherence between aims, content, tools, forms, and learning outcomes, thus creating a basis for holistic quality management in education. The evolution of the category “strategy” is examined in international scholarship, particularly in the works of J. Biggs, M. Fullan, A. Laurillard, R. Oxford, C. Tang, D. Wiley, and B. Zimmerman, who conceptualize strategy as a key mechanism for ensuring the integrity and effectiveness of educational activity. In Ukrainian pedagogical discourse, the concept of strategy has been explored by Aristova, Hryniova, Ievtushenko, Kremen, Kuzmenko, Malykhin, Ostapenko, and Topuzov, who emphasize the importance of strategic thinking, pedagogical forecasting, and quality management in education. Based on strategic, systemic, activity-based, competence-oriented, and other approaches, the article defines the essence of an educational strategy. The authors present three definitions that reflect its multilayered nature: educational strategy as a holistic conceptual model of instructional design; teaching strategy as the teacher’s managerial activity aimed at achieving planned learning outcomes; and learning strategy in higher education as a conscious system of actions performed by the learner. It is demonstrated that introducing the concept of “strategy” into the modern didactic category system helps overcome methodological fragmentation and forms a basis for innovative models of instruction oriented toward strategic thinking, self-regulation, learner agency, and partnership between teachers and learners. The strategic approach is identified as a prerequisite for ensuring sustainability, flexibility, and adaptability of education in the context of digitalization, global mobility, and European integration processes in Ukraine. Prospects for further research include developing a typology of educational strategies,
designing models of strategic management in educational processes, and integrating the strategic approach into digital, blended, and inclusive education aligned with the principles of sustainable development and academic integrity.