Автор: Пользователь скрыл имя, 07 Декабря 2011 в 17:14, доклад
INTRODUCTION Profound socio-economic changes that started in Russia during the last decade of the 20-th century changed the role and significance of every social institution in the country. Social behavior also underwent and is still undergoing significant modifications. People now set social goals quite different from those in the past and choose different means to pursue them. However, now as ever people define their social position in terms of social goals they would like to achieve and seek to optimize their behavior to obtain maximal results for their efforts. This principle is also applicable to the personal behavior with regards to education. The sphere of higher education in Russian Federation underwent profound changes.
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percent mentioned the influence of the parents, and 8% were driven by the desire to improve themselves. We observed two types of expectations of the students from their college degree. First, they hoped for social and career advancement. This goal was considered the most important by 43%) of the students, 34.5%) of which did not even mention any earning expectations. Second there was a group of socio-cultural aims, such as finding a place in the community, interesting and socially important job, personal enrichment. These aims predominated for 37.13%) of the respondents and were sited by 63.7%>, whereas 46.9%) of these respondents did not mention income expectations at all. The choice of the major was roughly equally driven by accidental factors, personal preferences ("I have always been interested in this profession, area of science, field of knowledge", etc), and extraneous factors (such as admission exams, influence of parents or friends). Next, we attempted to analyze socio-economical and socio-psychological background on which young people develop the educational motivation. Most (58.6%) of the students' families live in Penza, whereas 16.7%) live in other towns and 24.7%o are from the rural area. Thus, total proportion of city families is 75.3%o. This proportion is quite typical for most city Universities, although the proportion of Penza residents in the region is 35%>, the proportion of city residents - 64.4%> (15). This means that rural families have fewer opportunities or lack inclination to continue education beyond high school. However, if we take into account the data on the growth of distant education and subsidiary campuses in rural areas and small towns, we have to conclude that rural residents lack opportunities rather than inclination for higher education. It is important to remember that in Russia life outside of large cities, particularly in rural areas, has its peculiar difficulties. There is a huge gap in the social infrastructure between the city and the rural area, the center and periphery. Rural schools are generally not as good as city schools. It is more expensive for rural residents to support their children in a city college. Nonetheless, rural residents with college degree as a rule approve of their children's desire for college education and support them financially to the best of their ability. Educated parents are particularly inclined to stimulate their children's
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education. Our survey demonstrated that 84.8% parents of the students from rural areas had college degrees. Generally, among parents of all our students-respondents 42.2%o had a college degree, which is also considerably higher that the national number (21.5%> of the work force have college degrees.
At the same time, the parents of our students cannot be considered well-off even in comparison with other social groups in Russia. We asked our respondents to estimate their family's monthly income on the following scale: 1) much less that 3,000 rubles; 2) less than 3,000 rubles; 3) around 3,000 rubles; 4) more than 3,000 rubles; and 5) much more than 3,000 rubles. This scale was used because the average monthly income per person in Penza regions is around 3,000 rubles. According to the data provided by the office of Penza governor, on the 1 st of September 2003 the average monthly income per person in the region was 3,056 rubles and on the 1 st of November 2003 - 2,798.4 rubbles (it is lower than average monthly personal income in the Russian federation, which is about 4,800 rubles, or $160). The poverty level in the Penza administrative region in the fall of 2003 was estimated to be approximately 1,800 rubles per person per month (17). TABLE 3. The distribution of the students' families according to the income (as percents of total).
Much less than 3,000 rubles Less than 3,000 rubles Approximately 3,000 rubles More than 3,000 rubles Much more than 3,000 rubles 21.5 35.0 19.9 18.3 5.4 Families of our respondents are in general poorer than the average family in the region (Table 3): 56.5% of the families have monthly income per person less than 3,000 rubles. Income above the average was reported by only 23.7% and considerably above the average - by mere 5.4%. Interestingly, only 9.7% of the students considered their families poor, whereas a whopping 88.7% firmly believed they belonged to the middle class. Partially, this fact may be explained by the uniformly low living standards of the families. Despite the differences in actual monetary incomes, 76.3% of the students' families live on the income less than twice the poverty level. These families can ill afford discretionary expenses, such as comfortable housing, travel or entertainment, which impart variety to the life
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styles. Under these conditions, the actual structure of spending and consumption of families with income above or below the average are not all that different. Another important aspect is their general spending pattern. General spending habits of Penza's residents (as almost everywhere in Russia) are parsimonious, even ascetic. They economize on everything they can, particularly on food and other consumables. E.g., in 2001 consumption of fruits and vegetables was at 62% of the recommended level, meat - at 57%, milk and dairy products - at 57%, eggs - 81%, sugar - 88%) (18). The only products people consume enough of are bread (108% of the recommended level) and potatoes (100%), which today are the staples on the tables all over Russia. Still, an average Russian family spends 42%) of its budget on food (19). At the same time, when it comes to their children's education, these people spare no expense and find a way to cover the cost of college education out of their meager budgets. It is their willingness to spend money on education, as we observed earlier, that created the educational boom in Russia in the 1990s. This is the only aspect in which their spending pattern corresponds to that of the "true" middle class. We believe that this ever-increasing demand of Russian citizens for college education is, among other things, a way of social and psychological self-preservation, a protest against the denigration of their social status and self-esteem in the current economic situation. Educational expenses seem to be considered a priority by an average Russian family. How much exactly are the parents and children themselves willing to pay in money, efforts, and privations to obtain a college degree? When analyzing the results of this survey, it is important to remember that several expenses are pre-determined by the very decision to enroll in a college. To gain admission, it is often imperative to attend preparatory classes (for a fee) or hire private teachers. The admission to paid classes is usually less competitive than to free classes, therefore, many families with limited means still decide to pay for their children's education to improve their chances to be admitted to a college of their choice. Families residing outside of Penza often need to pay for the apartment rental. Thus, when a family decides to support the child's bid for
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a college degree, it prepares for a financial burden seemingly beyond its resources. We have asked the students: "What expenses have your parents incurred and are ready to incur for you education?" There were 8 choices of answers (students were asked to select all that applied): 1) Payments for preparatory classes; 2) Payment to private teachers; 3) Sponsorship of the University; 4) Apartment rent; 5) Tuition fee; 6) Personal expenses: food, clothes, travel home; 7) Tuition fee for the second degree or retraining; 8) Not sure. TABLE 4. Expenses the students' families incurred and are willing to incur for their college education. 12345678 Frequency (%) with which the answer is selected by students majoring in: Sociology and social work 12.4 9.1 5.0 9.9 12.2 37.2 10.7 2.5 Pre-law 21.4 12.6 3.9 9.7 15.5 30.1 5.8 1.0 Physics and math 12.7 11.1 12.7 9.5 3.2 39.7 4.8 6.4 Foreign languages 16.3 27.9 13.5 4.8 3.9 26.9 5.8 1.0 TOTAL frequency 15.9 15.4 8.2 8.4 9.7 33.0 7.2 2.3 Students (%) that selected the answer by majors: Sociology ads social work 25.9 19.0 10.3 20.7 27.6 77.6 22.4 25.9 Pre-law 46.8 27.7 8.5 21.3 34.0 66.0 12.8 2.1 Physics and math 25.8 22.6 25.8 19.4 6.5 80.7 9.7 12.9 Foreign languages 47.2 80.56 38.9 13.9 11.1 77.9 16.7 2.8 TOTAL proportion of student
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65.5 43.1 19.0 15.5 24.1 17.2 17.2 20.7 0 Pre-law 80.9 44.7 21.3 27.7 17.0 10.6 36.2 17.0 0 Physics and math 74.2 35.5 9.7 19.4 6.5 3.2 16.1 12.9 0 Foreign languages 58.3 38.9 58.3 36.1 16.7 5.6 30.6 27.8 0 TOTAL proportion of students 64.5 38.2 24.2 22.0 16.3 9.7 23.1 18.3 0 As we can see (Table 4), college degree costs the parents very dearly. Thirty three percent of respondents admitted that their parents paid for preparatory classes, 33% also paid for private teachers. Almost 18%> are paying for an apartment. The majority of the students (69.3%) confessed that their parents pay their personal expenses. To understand better the magnitude of the financial burden, let us consider some numbers. Preparatory classes cost 4,000-30,000 rubles ($133-1000) per class depending on their level and duration, i.e 1.3-10 monthly salaries. Forty-five minute-class with a private teacher in Penza costs 100-300 rubles ($3-10), rents are $10-200 a month depending on location and quality of the housing. Nonetheless, 20% of students said their parents are willing to pay for tuition, 15%> are willing to donate money to the University; 16.1% are ready to pay for the second degree. Therefore, in spite the fact that the students' families are already paying a great deal for the education, they are prepared to bear additional expenses if necessary. We have to stress, however, that the students themselves are no match for their parents in their willingness for sacrifice on the altar of the college education (Table 5). Most are quite willing to work hard to "obtain good grades in school" and "in college" and "study with private teachers". Only 10% of the students are ready for material privations, 23.1% are prepared to limit their entertainment and social life. Only 18.3% of the students agreed to work while in college but even less than that actually hold jobs. Thus, the students want the college degree and put some effort into it, but they are not quite prepared to severely restrict their consumption. Interestingly, only 70% of the respondents actually realized that they were being supported by their parents. Thus, the results of the survey indicate that the financial burden for college education is born primarily by the students' families. The parents came across as very determined and consistent in their desire for a college degree for their children regardless of the cost. This is remarkable considering that
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they have to impose severest restriction of their own consumption in order to come up with the necessary funds. This determination is even more striking if we take into account that a college degree does not really afford any real advantage in the job market or promises a higher income in the today's economic situation. The parents are well aware of this fact from their own bitter experience, because so many of them hold a college degree. The students themselves appear somewhat infantile in their attitude towards their own education. In their defense, we should say that Russian undergraduate students are younger than their American counterparts (most enroll in colleges at 17). In Russia in general and in Penza in particular, working while in college is not a very practical option. Most legitimate jobs available to students are so low paying that they are not worth the trouble. Jobs with decent salaries are often in marginalized and even criminalized segments of the labor market. Neither students nor their parents are willing to take the risk. Thus, most students consider working during their stay in college only as the last resort. III. CONCLUSION The results of this study suggested that the educational motivation of the students was derived predominantly from socio-cultural and personal considerations. The influence of such factors as the demand of the labor market or the government educational policy was relatively weak. We may even say that the strong educational drive we saw in our students developed despite such factors. Interests of self-fulfillment, cultural and intellectual development, social recognition, personal creativity prevail over reasons pertaining to the income. The students, of course, are interested in improving their living standards. However, the prospects of prosperity are not perceived as a decisive, much less the only, reason to seek college education. Moreover, the students are well aware that in the current economic situation it is doubtful whether college education would bring higher income. The data suggest that the students as well as their parents consider higher education essential for improving or reserving the social status, even if it has little to do with the income potential. The students and their families associate higher education with their social position as members of the middle class and see it as a major factor that separates them lowe r social strata. Surprisingly, in the society
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where macroeconomic factors predominate, and individuals have little chance of influencing their earnings through their own efforts, our students pin all their hopes for a better future on college education. And they are willing to sacrifice a great deal for it. We think this is the most amazing testimony to the social optimism of the Russian people. REFERENCES 1) Russian educational system includes elementary (1-4 grades), middle (5-9 grades), and high school (10-11 grades). Higher education comprises Universities and Colleges (5-6 years of study). Colleges are more specialized in training a particular type of specialists and, thus, offer less diverse majors. Admission is separate for different majors and is based on admission examinations (usually 3-4) in different subjects depending on a major. College graduates are expected to join the workforce, and only those intended to pursue a career in research go to graduate schools (3 years).
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The bibliography
1) Site "Statistics of the Russian Education" . http ://www. stat.edu.ru/
2) Shuvalov
I. T, Pashchenko V.G "Higher Education", p. 104 In: "Penza
Encyclopedia", Ed. Vishnewski K.D., Seree "Large. Russian
encyclopedia",
Moscow, 2001.
3) The Official
site of the Government of the Penza gubernia (region). Part "Social
sphere, education", http://www.penza.ru/01/06/
4) Shuvalov
I. T, Pashchenko V.G "Higher Education", p. 104 In: "Penza
Encyclopedia", Ed. Vishnewski K.D.,
Seree "Large Russian encyclopedia", Moscow, 2001.
behavior). Working paper #99/11.
7) Spryskov
D. Below the poverty line. Duration of poverty in Russia. In:
Economic Education and Research Consortium. Working Paper Series. Area:
Labor Markets and Social policy. Working paper 03/04.
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