Abstract:

In our researches on the student youth we study the value orientations on the basis of several indirect characteristics taking the fact that students undergo the active stage of their secondary socialization into consideration. The result of the socialization is resultant of many differently directed influences. Since we examine the period of life when people are getting education, we can speak only about a certain level of socialization. This level of socialization is exposed to changes because any educational system directly acts as an institute of socialization. Besides, the macro-social environment begins to exert greater influence on a person during student years. Therefore, in many respects value orientations will reflect the accepted in society life orientations, depend on an actual situation and change, sometimes significantly. At the same time value orientations are autonomous enough and can be reproduced from generation to generation not only in order of direct inheritance (through family), but also through mass media and network communication in various social communities.
This, in particular, can be confirmed by the monitoring research “Russian Institute of Higher Education Through the Eyes of Students” which is conducted by Moscow University for the Humanities, Centre of Sociology of Youth since the year 2000.
According to the research, which was not especially devoted to analysis of students’ value orientations, we obtained a significant material for sociological generalizations. The most important indicators were outspoken by the students in the form of answers table to the question: “What does a ‘good life’ mean for you?” In the research that took place in 2010 (N = 3261). The achievement of material well-being is the most wide-spread value orientation in the student community. However, it does not close the belief about a “good life”, in respect of which such values as a “good family” (73 % in total), a “good work” (71 %), health (71 %), love (65 %) are still quite significant too. These components form per se understanding of happiness of the contemporary youth and draw the picture of expected life quality in the future.
The tendency toward a spiritual side of their vital activities (family, health, love) is noted in the answers of the students from the regional institutes of higher education. Concerning of such values as education a certain picture could be drawn by the data presented in the table 1.

Table 1. Distribution of the student’ answers on the question: “Is the higher education can be considered to be a life success warranty nowadays” (%)

Moscow Regions total
yes 21.9 26.4 24.4
no 50.8 44.3 47.0
hard to tell 27.3 29.3 28.6
total 100.0 100.0 100.0


To draw a conclusion it is important to mention that the researches of the Russian youth that have been carried out during the last decade show that even the new conditions in every day life have not caused a full rejection of the traditional Russian cultural and historical values of the preceding generations among the young people.

Keywords:

value orientations, social values, Russian youth, empirical researches, educati, «student body».