Regional model for developing functional literacy in a digital educational environment: concept, implementation, and effectiveness assessment

The civilizational transition generates an objective societal need for the development of functional literacy as a key factor for national security and individual success. In response to this need, a dynamic and adaptive model for developing functional literacy is proposed. Its primary advantage is the ability to integrate the relevant regional context and flexibly respond to the challenges of instability and rapid socio-cultural changes. The role of the regional digital educational environment (DEE) in fostering functional literacy among students was examined, using the Samara Region as an example. Monitoring results of students’ functional literacy conducted in 2019 revealed insufficient development of global competencies and creative thinking. To address this issue, the DEE of the region was leveraged to enhance educational quality: students were engaged in project-based activities, their analytical skills were developed, and they were offered contextual tasks simulating real-life situations. Resources of the regional system of supplementary education were actively utilized. Over a four-year period, annual monitoring demonstrated that by 2022, the proportion of students achieving high results increased to 60 % compared to 19.8 % in 2019, representing more than a threefold improvement. These findings indicate the positive potential of using the DEE to create a multifunctional regional educational environment that develops both personal and academic competencies. A key prospect of the study is the transition from episodic monitoring to a continuous formative assessment system based on the DEE, enabling near real-time collection and analysis of educational outcomes at all levels – from individual students to municipalities – for prompt adjustment of the educational process.