Being A Citizen In A Changing Russian Society:Experiences Of High School Students From The Russian Far East

The end of the USSR in 1991 brought economic,political and social crisis to the new Russia.Rethinking the framework of new country identity was the main priority for politicians and scholars.To restore order in the state citizenship education played a vital role in building a new Russian identity and strong civic society with democratic values.Russian citizenship education suffers from contradictions in policy and social issues inside the country.Globalization trends and focus on humanities require developing and promoting democratic values and principles for all.However,from the beginning of the 2000 s Russian policy has active nationalistic elements,putting lots of attention on nation-building and patriotism.Neoliberal features in Russian policy emphasize on a human capital framework,which supposed to help young people to obtain knowledge,skills,and talents needed for competition in the labor market.However,without a robust base of values it leads to more isolation,envy,and indifference among people.All the challenges and contradictions in Russian citizenship education make it interesting to research the current situation in the country.The study focuses on describing and interpreting the characteristics of nowadays young Russian citizens based on their experience inside and outside of school.Family,peers,and community also have a significant impact on young people's identity as citizens.The research questions of the study are what experience of citizenship education students have had,how this experience has formed their identity(values,attitudes,perceptions,etc.),and how to understand students' citizen identity in the national and global context.This research used a explanatory sequential mixed-method design.Data collection took place in January and February 2017.Two hundred students,grade 9 to 11,participated in filling the questionnaire and 20 out of them took part in the interviews.The study was conducted in two public secondary schools in the Russian Far East.The data from questionnaires were analyzed with descriptive and inferential statistics.Interviews were recorded,transcribed and coded.The findings told how students' experience constructed their citizen identity through attitudes,values,perceptions,and understanding of citizenship.Interactions with family,peers,and with broader community might dictate how students perceived the society and its values.Students reported about the illusion of democracy in Russia,hostility,indifference,and lack of deep bond in the society and people around them.With regard to active participation in citizenship activities,most of the students are inclined to take part in conventional forms of participation,rather than to challenge the existing order.Besides the nationalistic focus in education policy,students associate themselves more as citizens with democratic values,rather than true patriots.The findings reveal inconsistency among intended,implemented citizenship education policy and attained results.The study contributes to the field of Post-Soviet studies by exploring and describing citizenship education in Russia.The results and conclusions cannot be generalized to the whole population of Russia;however,they can present a unique context of citizenship education in the Russian Far East region.The research might be useful for educators and scholars interested in citizenship education for young people.It can give perspective on current social,political and economic tensions inside Russia.