TOWARD THE TERMINOLOGICAL SYSTEM OF THE CONCEPT «EDUCATIONAL MANAGEMENT»

Abstract

This article, based on a study of scientific literature and the author’s personal experience teaching the course «Management in Educational Institutions», reveals contemporary approaches by scholars and practitioner-instructors to the theoretical foundations of educational management, which is viewed as an important component of both pedagogy and economics. Specifically, the article explores the characteristics of management as both a science and a practice (i.e., managerial activity); it defines the subject, object, and components of educational management; elaborates on its content; and outlines the functions, principles, forms, methods, and techniques used in educational institutions at the current stage of scientific development.

The article demonstrates that each scientific field is based on a specific terminological system, and this is equally true for educational management. This field is characterized by its own set of terms, definitions, scholarly ideas and concepts, rules, patterns, principles, and conclusions.

The study substantiates that educational management has clearly defined categories and concepts within a specific system (i.e., education), along with a developmental history, historiography of research, and theoretical foundations. The author emphasizes the importance of considering the hermeneutic discourse in scientific research to clarify various terms and concepts, particularly when interpreting multiple meanings of words such as «management», «governance», «leadership», «administration», and «governing».

Special attention is given to the development of Ukrainian national terminology and how it has been defined in the works of Ukrainian scholars. The study confirms that the term «management» has a rather broad interpretation, and that «educational management» is a distinct and specialized field within management.