Abstract:

Cultural heritage belongs to the past, but it is also of great social importance in the present, especially with its educational function. The fundamental and leading role of education for the formation of values and behaviour, as well as for the acquisition of individual competences, is indisputable. There are different definitions of the term “education” that unanimously unite its core mission to preserve and develop culture. Therefore, cultural institutions within the meaning of the current legal framework in the country, in addition to carrying out activities to create, disseminate and preserve cultural and historical values, should develop active educational initiatives to fulfil their role as a mediator between the preserved tradition and the present. It is also one of the mechanisms for achieving the current education goals related to its sustainable development.

Museum educational programs as a specific interdisciplinary museum product offering a wealth of ideas and forms, as well as a variety of topics and methods of work, are a subject of a study by various scientists. Innovative approaches related to the educational function of cultural heritage have been the subject of research, mainly in the field of museum pedagogy and some specialists in general pedagogy and teaching methods in various academic subjects.

This paper presents new research project entitled “Research of Contemporary Educational Programs of Cultural Institutions in Bulgaria“, won in 2019 Competition for Financial Support for Projects of Junior Basic Researchers and Postdocs, organized by the Bulgarian National Science Fund, part of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Bulgaria, Contract № KP-06-M35/3 from 18.12.2019, led by Assist. Sonya Spasova, PhD. The scientific methods, expected results and goals of the project are presented.

The subject of the project are the educational initiatives that put into practice national and regional history museums and national and regional libraries, in the period 2019-2020. The scientific problem will be examined whether these programs increase the quality of formal and non-formal education and the achievement of lasting knowledge in young people. A key element of the project is to determine the degree of interaction of cultural institutions with the school system in the country.

The goals and objectives of this paper and the project are based on the systematic development of the scientific-theoretical concept of cultural heritage as an interdisciplinary phenomenon bordering on a number of other close and related sciences, such as: cultural studies, history, sociology, pedagogy, museology, etc. The study process envisages the formulation of criteria and the implementation of a comprehensive approach to research the educational function of cultural institutions.

Keywords:

Education, museum, cultural institutions, cultural studies, research project.