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The study of Russian children's illustrated magazines at the various stages of their formation and development remains a relevant topic due to the evolution of their printed forms in the context of the transformation of the media environment. The first Russian children's magazine was Children's Reading for the Heart and Mind [Detskoye chteniye dlya serdtsa i razuma] (1785–1789). This publication contributed to the creation of Russian periodical literature for children, and it provided the point of departure for the creative efforts of numerous publications that followed in its footsteps, including even present-day Russian children's magazines. The aim of the present article is to study the evolution of the forms of Russian children's illustrated magazines under modern processes of the transformation of the media environment. This goal has determined the objectives of the paper: to study empirical materials related to this topic, consisting of numerous children's publications from different historical periods; identifying the relevant stages of the development of children's periodicals; examining the content and formal characteristics of children's periodicals; applying an integrated approach to working with the most important aspects of Russian children's magazines in the process of transforming the media reality. Our research methodology is based on a structural approach, which has been updated to incorporate structural-functional, structural-formal, and system-synergetic approaches as well as linear regression methodology. The problems that arise from the epistemological context are determined by the significance of the integrated approach to the study of the formal structure of Russian children's illustrated magazines. When we review the state of research in this area, we see that there have been very few studies of Russian periodicals for children despite the relevance of the topic. During the process of their formation and development, children's magazines came into being as a special type of publication with varying subject-thematic, ideological, political, pedagogical, and commercial orientations. They differed in their target audience, content, and presentation, and they were made available to a wide circle of readers. The content of these publications mainly included fiction, journalism, nonfiction articles, sociopolitical commentary, entertainment, and advertising. We have provided a theoretical justification of our research methodology, which uses the general scientific structural method and facilitates the study of the evolution of Russian children's illustrated magazines. The methodology has allowed us to draw conclusions about how their formal structure as well as the larger media environment were transformed over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews some government policy measures aimed at strengthening competition in the Russian university market and looks at the best international practices in this area. It analyzes the competitive behavior of universities under the current government policy on higher education and research and development and suggests an approach to assessing the efficiency of government stimulation of competition among universities and to predicting the outcomes of applying existing stimulation tools. This paper presents the results of assessing the current level of competition in the Russian university market using a nonstructural method, an adjusted Panzar-Rosse competition assessment model. We used the value of grants received by universities as part of government orders as one of the model factors and also analyzed the effects of other factors describing the size, entrance requirements, and research activities of universities. This article investigates how university income depends on the value of grants received (a ratio of total income to the size of grants) and on the number of students and teachers. The level of competition in this market is characterized by the elasticity of the total income of an average university based on the value of grants received. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Socio-pedagogical studies of victimization consider various age cohorts within their respective anthropological contexts, in which specific risk factors are identified for individuals at a given physio-psychological stage that may threaten their integral identity and future development. This paper examines the characteristics of youth that predispose young people to join countercultural groups, and in particular antisocial cults. There is a pressing need to address this issue because the leaders of countercultural organizations are actively recruiting young and capable persons to join their groups. Because Western scholars have been the first to write about the problem of antisocial cultism, our goal has been to analyze the main foreign studies by primarily American and Canadian psychologists and educators that probe the reasons why young people join vile cults. Characteristics of this age group, such as fear of rejection by peers, growing sexuality, growing conflicts with the adult world, youthful black-and-white thinking, the active development of an independent worldview, and sympathy for alternative religiosity, are not strict conditions determining whether young people will join antisocial cults. However, the considered characteristics allow us to deem this period in a person’s development as one of the most vulnerable in terms of developing deviant religious views. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the fact that the family is extremely significant in the system of values of young people (in Russia), the number of divorces is increasing in this population group. Our analysis of this contradiction establishes that young people need to be specially prepared for family life. The paper presents the results of a large empirical study conducted in eight regions in various federal districts of Russia. The study covered a representative sample of over 7,000 respondents from two-parent and one-parent families, families with one to two children and large families; they were inhabitants of large and small Russian cities and villages. The study showed that (a) the family is of primary importance in the formation of young people’s values. (b) Most respondents believe that a family is an indispensable condition for happiness. (c) Most respondents believe that one should be specially prepared for family life. (d) Only a third of respondents believe that a school course on family issues could solve this problem. (e) Most respondents noted that their parental families failed to be role models. (f) Young people’s reproductive attitudes, which mainly involve having two or three children, do not correspond to actual modern demographic statistics. (g) More than half of the respondents approve of common-law marriages. (h) But the young people were less tolerant of births out of wedlock. (i) Mothers had the greatest influence on young people as they were growing up. (j) Fathers took second place, with a large gap between them and mothers. (k) The generalized portraits of mothers and fathers were entirely positive; that is, there were no negative characteristics. (k) The most popular adjectives used to describe both mothers and fathers were the following: kind, dependable, caring, responsible, family-oriented, and smart. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the explanatory possibilities and limitations of the concept of alienation within the framework of educational psychology studies. Research into various phenomena associated with alienation (frustration and burnout, extrinsic motivation, cynicism, etc.) is often limited by the ontological realm of the individual, whereas the concept of alienation refers to a whole range of processes characteristic of both individual and sociocultural levels. The study outlines the heuristic potential that the cultural-historical activity approach to meaning and meaning regulation has in the analysis of alienation phenomena. The author reviews findings of empirical studies of alienation in education, as well as the theoretical groundwork dealing with the triggers of alienation and ways to cope with it. The discussion reveals that as human knowledge expands and becomes more complex and multifaceted on an ongoing basis, this causes various manifestations of alienation to grow in their frequency and intensity across educational environments. However, what could potentially help overcome specific psychological instances of alienation is the individual's conscious and more socially aligned self-identification that can be achieved through meaningful reflection on the contributory part they play in the broadest context of collective activity and societal progress as a whole. Although too abstract and heterogeneous for specific psychological studies to be based upon, the concept of alienation may be of great utility in interpreting psychological findings and integrating them into the interdisciplinary context, in order to more thoughtfully revisit and improve the existing institutional configurations and instructional practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper is based on the results of a study of secondary school principal decision-making styles conducted in eight regions of the Russian Federation (one per federal district) in 2014 using the methodological approach developed by Alan J. Rowe. The study aimed to assess the reformist potential of Russian school principals. We believe that this potential is determined in the present context by a leadership style that involves teachers in decision-making processes and the delegation of responsibilities to them in uncertain situations that require them to solve extremely complex tasks. Using the two-factor leadership model proposed by B. Bass, we suggest that either the transformational or transactional leadership style may prove to be effective depending on a given school's individual circumstances. Consequently, two types of leaders may be the most effective in terms of their ability to enact reforms: (1) principals who mainly exhibit a conceptual decision-making style and secondarily make recourse to an analytical style; (2) principals who mainly exhibit an analytical decision-making style and secondarily make resource to a conceptual style. The article establishes that only 12% of school principals apply the conceptual decision-making style while relying on an analytical style to a secondary degree. These are the principals who we classify as transformational leaders. Only 11% are effectively prepared to implement changes given a specific environment. These are the transactional leaders who are likely to change their leadership style for a transformational one. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article presents the results of an analysis of the moral value judgments of adults (parents, teachers, educators) that directly concern the socialization process of the young generation in the modern metropolis. This paper follows the model study by Jean Piaget that investigated the moral value judgments of children. A comparative analysis of the judgments of respondents allows us to investigate whether certain perceptions of the norm are widely held. Statistically significant differences between the groups of “parents” and educators uncovered give us grounds to pose a practical question whether representatives of these groups can be functionally interchanged in pedagogical practice. The results of the analysis demonstrate the need to conduct comprehensive research into the normative value system, which is an integral component that regulates the activities of both children and adults. We also discuss the broader issues relating to the original explanatory model. We note the ambiguity, variability, and the complex structural construction of the normative-value unit that regulates activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work discusses the results of a pilot project performed in 2013–14 within the framework of the Asian Leadership Project international comparative study, which continues research of school leadership in Europe and America since years 2006–2008. Alongside with Russia, the pilot project also included Australia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. After analyzing statistical reports on the Russian Federation as a whole, as well as on Moscow and Krasnoyarsk Krai in particular, we created a profile of an average school principal and identified their specific features across regions (age, sex, years of experience, competencies, etc.). Upon investigation of decision-making styles (A. Rowe's Decision Style Inventory) applied by school principals in Moscow and Krasnoiarsk and by award winners in the School Principal professional competition, we found that contextual factors and personal and professional attitudes of school principals have considerable effects on school leadership style. This paper also discusses changes in school leadership styles over recent decades, managerial methods used by Russian school principals, and similarities and differences between school leadership practices in Russia and Canada. The report describes the concept and design of a future large-scale study of these issues. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper presents an overview of studies on the correlations of teacher pay to regional economics and to regional factors affecting the size of teacher salaries. It describes the basic pay indicators for teachers in the regions: absolute salary, teacher pay level as compared to the average regional salary, and ratio of salary to the cost of a fixed set of goods and services and to the per capita gross regional product. Based on calculations that used open government databases, a classification of regions by teacher pay level was developed. Regions of the country turned out to belong to seven different clusters. Recommendations on teacher remuneration were developed for each of these clusters and common risks and challenges were identified. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The paper proposes a model of educational strategies for college entrants that makes it possible to assess the investment efficiency in additional preparation as evidenced by the Unified State Exam [USE] scores. It was found that college entrants still use traditional forms of preparation despite the new institutional admission conditions at universities. However, it was expected that after the unification of the examination system prospective students would be less likely to resort to extra classes in order to prepare for university entrance. A survey of first-year students and their parents was conducted. It included a total of 1,600 households in the 16 largest Russian cities. A positive relationship was found between monetary investments and time spent on additional preparation courses, on the one hand, and exam results, on the other. However, the return on these investments was low. These results were based on an assessment of a modified function of the educational achievements of students. On the one hand, this means that the results of the USE are connected to the efforts of prospective students, and on the other it shows that those who pursue additional preparation outside of school may gain an advantage by achieving an overall higher score, thereby creating inequality in access to higher education. The particular school that a student is enrolled in and that student's school performance are more significant factors in some cases than the effect of additional preparation. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The paper presents the results of a large-scale study on the scope of extracurricular education services and an assessment of the potential role of education outside the classroom and informal education in solving children's socialization issues. The study was carried out by questioning students as consumers of education services. A new instrument was developed and tested to allow for a detailed description of various aspects of extracurricular activities and their correlation with studies and social and psychological characteristics of students. An extensive set of statistics (over 6,000 questionnaires filled out by schoolchildren from several regions of Russia) was used to analyze the degree of engagement of children of different ages in out-of-class activities; the most popular types of activities of specific age groups; the age range when children are most engaged in such activities; the reasons for nonparticipation in extracurricular activities; the infrastructure of education beyond the classroom; the relative frequency of structured and nonstructured activities; the correlation between out-of-class activities and development of self-esteem, a feeling of community, and satisfaction with school. Age- and gender-related profiles of various activities are described. It appears that structured extracurricular activities, unlike unstructured ones, correlate with higher self-esteem (both overall and academic), and a stronger sense of belonging in and better satisfaction with school. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]