Explaining the Role of the Educational System in Confronting the Impacts of Globalization on National Identity

Globalization is an inescapable process of the twenty-first century. In this process, political and economic borders fade, communication expands, and cultural interactions increase. The phenomenon of globalization transforms societies in three dimensions – economic, political, and cultural. In its cultural dimension, globalization consists of the formation and expansion of a particular culture on the global stage, creating a wave of cultural homogeneity that affects national identity – the tool that separates one nation from another. Meanwhile, the country’s education system, which on the one hand is tasked with safeguarding national values and on the other hand faces the challenges of globalization, plays a pivotal role in consolidating national identity while at the same time seizing the opportunities of globalization through a better understanding of this process. This research examines the role of the education system in confronting the impacts of globalization on national identity and answers the question of whether the education system has played an effective role in consolidating the national identity of youth so that it can have a constructive interaction with globalization. The findings from the reviewed studies showed that, despite the ideals and goals of this system, practically, in the field of educating citizens who, in addition to possessing characteristics appropriate to an Iranian citizen, can also act as global citizens while preserving national identity, it has not been successful. As a result, an effective education system in Iran, if based on Islamic-Iranian sources with various approaches including cultural-educational approaches, will be able to educate global citizens who, while preserving national identity, can also have a constructive interaction with the changing world.