Social representations of the students of secondary schools of the Khabarovsk territory: sociological measurement

Abstract

The article presents theoretical overview of scientific approaches to the study of «social ideas» as a fundamental construct of sociology and related sciences and the results of their sociological measurement among the schoolchildren of the Khabarovsk territory. Genesis of the concept «social representations» (social representations), which has its origins in scientific views and conceptual justifications from the classics of social sciences (sociology, social psychology, etc.) to modern domestic and foreign researchers, reflects both its high significance and the complexity of interpretation and empirical measurement. The methodological analysis of the main scientific approaches to the study of this construct gives reason for the authors to widely use them as the basis for the sociological measurement of social ideas of students in general education schools.The empirical results of sociological surveys obtained by the authors indicate that the school education system forms collective social ideas of students as stable education of ideas, views, values and knowledge, having the central cores of representation, based on quantitative and qualitative indicators. Their sociological measurement testifies to the content and objectification of social ideas regarding study, educational and professional plans, migration moods. The authors consider it expedient to use the presented results of sociological measurement of social ideas of schoolchildren to develop measures to improve state educational policy, primarily in the formation of a value-motivation attitude (meanings and images) to study, the choice of profession, place of work in the regional labor market and other life plans.