Identity management: A sociological diagnosis of the level of national identity of students

UDC 316.4-053
DOI 10.20339/AM.04-26.058

Vyacheslav A. Chistyakov, Candidate of Social Sciences, Docent, Associate Professor of the Department of General Education and Professional Disciplines, Nizhny Novgorod Institute of Railway Engineering — branch of Volga State University of Railway Engineering, https://orcid.org/0009-0002-3344-7389, AuthorID: 717043, SPIN: 6251-9410, e-mail: fpk_kfu@mail.ru

Svetlana M. Maltseva, Cand. Sci. (Philology), Docent, Associate Professor of the Department of Philosophy and Theology at Minin University; Associate Professor of the Department of General Education and Professional Disciplines, Nizhny Novgorod Institute of Railways — Branch of Volga State University of Railways, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7273-1852, AuthorID: 736254, SPIN: 9502-6593, e-mail: maltsewasvetlana@yandex.ru

Ekaterina A. Nuzha, Student of the Department of Professional Education and Management of Educational Systems, Mininsky University, Nizhny Novgorod, e-mail: nuzaekaterina@gmail.com

References

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The relevance of the research is due to the fact that in modern Russia the importance of national identity is increasing in the context of globalization and the transformation of socio-political reality. Students are the most active and receptive social group, therefore they are a key object for studying identification processes. This research is aimed at identifying how national identity manifests itself in the system of values and everyday practices of students. The purpose of the work is the theoretical substantiation and experimental verification of the peculiarities of the manifestation of national identity among students. According to the research hypothesis, the manifestation and awareness of national identity among students is directly dependent on the level of their involvement in cultural and educational events related to their national history and traditions, as well as the influence of family and social environment. The methodological basis of the research is a survey that includes 7 key questions aimed at identifying awareness of various aspects of national identity. The study involved 280 students of a higher educational institution: “NSPU named after Kozma Minin” and “NIPS-branch of PrivGUPS”. The scientific novelty of the work lies in the partial confirmation of the proposed assumption about the influence of external factors on the formation of the national identity of students. At the same time, the work revealed an important contradiction: with the pronounced impact of cultural and educational events, family upbringing and the social environment, students demonstrate a low level of awareness about the very factors that form the basis of their identity. This contradiction constitutes the scientific novelty of the research. The results of the study are the identification of three key factors influencing the national identity of students (cultural and educational events, family upbringing and the social environment). A serious problem has also been found: only 28% of the students surveyed can explain what nationality means to them and what it is based on. This indicates that most students’ national identity is formed on an emotional rather than a conscious level. The results obtained can be used in the development of educational programs and educational strategies in higher education aimed at strengthening the national identity of students.

Keywords: national identity, ethnic identity, civic identity, student youth, values, patriotism, the educational environment