A closer look into Estonian English Language Curriculum

Abstract

Estonia is one of the post- Soviet countries where educational policies were reshaped several times to abandon centralized curricular policies. Exploration of curriculum policies in Estonia is a good opportunity to contextualize the discussions of centralization versus decentralization of national curricula. In an effort to recover from the prescriptive, top- down- imposed and centralized education policies of the Soviet era, Estonia oriented towards integrating western educational principles into their curriculum at all levels. It is easy to observe a transition process from the implementation of fully centralized educational policies to creating a more decentralized educational system. The current study will focus on providing a general overview of educational practices in Estonia as well as elaborating on its unique historical status and its reflections on curricular decisions. © 2023 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.