Social and Cultural Factors of Primary School Teacher Training in Canada (1950–1990s)

Abstract

The article analyzes the demographic and economic ties and describes the social and cultural factors that in Canada in the 1950 -1990s determined changes in the tasks, organization, and training of teachers to work in primary school, taking into account the cultural needs of the population and government education policies. The application of historical and genetic as well as comparative methods of documentary sources analysis made it possible to identify the social and cultural-regional conditionality of the tasks and content of teacher training and their preparation for work in primary schools in different provinces. The article highlights the main contexts according to which the professional training of Canadian primary school teachers was carried out: historical, multicultural, traditional cultural, pedagogical, and religious. As a result of the comparative analysis of historical development, it was found that in Canadian cities such as Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver there were concentrated large settlements of migrants, which played a dominant role in social and cultural development of Canada. Two main vectors of teacher training, multicultural and cross-cultural, which met the requirements of Canadian social environments and educational policy of Canadian governments, are studied. The training programs for primary school teachers in the provinces of Quebec, Ontario, and British Columbia, initiated mainly by the federal government of Canada, are described. The Government of Canada, together with the Ministries of Education, colleges and universities, has been found to have influenced the training of Canadian primary school teachers by creating a variety of educational programs best suited for the needs of society.