Edutainment Centers as an Educational Phenomenon. The Case of KidZania

Ger Graus OBE, Global Director of Education, KidZania; Visiting Professor, Institute of Education, National Research University Higher School of Economics. E-mail: ger.graus@kidzania.comSergey Kosaretsky, Candidate of Sciences in Psychology, Director of the Center for Socio-Economic Development of Schools, Institute of Education, National Research University Higher School of Economics. E-mail: skosaretski@hse.ru (corresponding author)Anzhelika Kudryavtseva, Master of Evidence-Based Educational Policy (Institute of Education, National Research University Higher School of Economics). E-mail: likatrofimova@gmail.comKaterina Polivanova, Doctor of Sciences in Psychology, Professor, Academic Supervisor, Center for Modern Childhood Studies, Institute of Education, National Research University Higher School of Economics. E-mail: kpolivanova@hse.ruElizaveta Sivak, Director of the Center for Modern Childhood Studies, Institute of Education, National Research University Higher School of Economics. E-mail: esivak@hse.ruIvan Ivanov, Analyst, Center for Socio-Economic Development of Schools, Institute of Education, National Research University Higher School of Economics. E-mail: iyivanov@hse.ruAddress: 20 Myasnitskaya Str., 101000 Moscow, Russian Federation.Edutainment centers, i. e. centers that both educate and entertain, have sprung up across the globe since the 1970s. At the end of the 20th century, a new type of such centers emerged: theme parks for children, KidZania being the first of its kind and the most global one. Through the example of KidZania, this study examines the characteristics of theme parks that have made them popular among children and their parents as well as the role of such parks in today's urban learning ecosystems. The paper also explores how the relationship between entertainment and education and the one between the commercial and educational components of edutainment centers affect the current state and development prospects of the sector.