School As An Agent Of Political Socialization In Russia: Problems And Prospects Of Development[Школа Как Агент Политической Социализации В Современной России: Проблемы И Перспективы Развития]

Introduction. The authors analyze some features of Russian students’ political socializing at the present stage. The purpose of the study is to identify the main trends that characterize the role of the school as an agent (active subject) of political socialization. Methods. The empirical basis of the study is the results of the survey in which 554 students and 151 teachers of history and social studies in Chelyabinsk schools took part, the authors used qualitative (projective tests, in-depth interviews) and quantitative (survey) methods. Scientific novelty. The specific feature of the authors’ approach to the problem under study is to perceive the school as an agent of political socialization, which is able to carry out the targeted steps of including children into the political sphere of the society within the educational process at several levels. Results. The data show that the socializing impact at the school level is relatively ineffective. The analysis revealed the problems that teachers have to face when conducting training activities related to delivering knowledge about politics: 1) students’ lack of interest; 2) comparatively low level of teachers’ special competence; 3) lack of necessary free time, etc. At the same time, students showed a fairly high level of behavioral activity and cognitive complexity in assessing power institutions. The unconscious component of students’ political ideas is characterized by the absence of formed values and the heterogeneity of power images. Conclusions. The school as an agent of political socialization is losing its role as the leading agent of socializing when forming political values and students’ ideas about politics in modern conditions. The main reason for this is the dominant role of social networks and the. Students tend to get information about politics from external sources, so they are less likely to resort to discussing current political issues with teachers. This process leads to the need to develop new conceptual approaches to forming state policy in the field of general education.