The Ethnic Identity of Russian-speaking Students in Estonia in the Context of Educational Change
Date
2015-10-22
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Abstract
Me elame kiiresti muutuvas maailmas ja puutume üha enam kokku keelelis-kultuurilise mitmekesisusega, end teostades ja oma kohta otsides. Just seetõttu on olulised sellised küsimused nagu Kes ma olen? ja Kuhu kuulun? Mida üks või teine kuuluvus tähendab minu jaoks? Need küsimused on aktuaalsetena teadvustatud nii ühiskonna tasandil, igapäevaelus kui ka teadusliku uurimisprobleemina.
Enese etnilise grupi liikmena määratlemine ei pruugi olla teadvustatud ja oluline pidevalt ja kõigis situatsioonides, kuid see sotsiaalse identiteedi aspekt võib siiski olla piisav alus, et end väärtustlikuna või tõrjutuna tunda. Etnilisel sotsialiseerumisel on peetud olulisemaks keskkonnaks perekonda. Kuid ka hariduskeskkonda on peetud grupikuuluvuste kujunemise seisukohast oluliseks. Käesoleva töö fookuseks on Eesti venekeelsete õpilaste etnilise identiteedi kujunemine ühe olulisema haridusmuutuse ehk eestikeelsele õppele ülemineku kontekstis.
Doktoritöö raames läbi viidud uuringutest ilmneb, et etniline enesemääratlus ja õppekeele ei seostu otseselt, samas on emakeel oluline enesemääratluse aluseks olev tunnus. Õpilaste nägemuses erinevad koolid õppekeeleti eelkõige selle poolest, missugusel tasemel on võimalik mingis koolis erinevaid keeli (vene, eesti) omandada. Seda, et ootused haridussüsteemile on pigem seotud sellega, kuivõrd on võimalik omandada teadmised ja oskused, mis on vajalikud edukaks ja soovitud haridusteeks ning karjääriks, kinnitavad ka (vanemate poolt) tehtud kooli valikud, sh õppekeeltest lähtuvalt. Tulemustest ilmneb selgelt, et Eesti ühiskonnas on võimalik olla edukas heal tasemel eesti keelt osates.
Uuringute tulemustele toetudes võib järeldada, et keeltel on Eesti ühiskonnas tugev sümboolne väärtus, õppekeel ei ole vaid teadmiste ja oskuste omandamise vahend, vaid ka etniliste gruppide staatust väljendav nähtus, millest tingituna tajutakse vene õppekeele asendumist gümnaasiumiastmes riskina etnilisele identiteedile. Etnilise identiteedi kujunemisel haridusmuutuste tingimustes on olulised erinevad kommunikatiivsed seosed etnilise identiteedi, haridussüsteemi ja ühiskonna vahel: kuidas ühiskonnas toimunud muutusi kooli tasandil ja indiviidide poolt tõlgendatakse ning missuguseid valikuid nende tõlgenduste baasil tehakse.
We live in a rapidly changing and increasingly diverse world in which we have to succeed. The questions like What I am? and Where do I belong? and What does this mean to me? are therefore essential, considering also ethnicity , and have to be continuously addressed at the level of society, in everyday life and as a problem that has to be researched. Ethnic self-identification may not be important in all situations, but this aspect of social identity could be essential to a feeling for being valued and not marginalized. The most important environment for ethnic socializing is considered to be in the family. However, the educational environment has been crucial to the development of group affiliations. This thesis focuses on the development of the ethnic identity of Russian-speaking students in Estonia in the context of an important educational change, i.e. the transition to instruction in Estonian. The results of the studies show that the ethnic self-identification of students and the languages of instruction are not directly related, but at the same time language is the main basis for ethnic self-identification. According to the opinion of students Estonian-language, Russian-language and language immersion schools and classes differ mainly from the perspective of language learning. In schools with Estonian as the language of instruction, students acquire good proficiency in Estonian and foreign languages, but proficiency in Russian remains poor. In the estimation of students, Russian-language and bilingual (language immersion) classes offer the possibility to acquire the Russian language, also more knowledge about one’s ethnic group. The students’ main expectation related to the education system is to acquire knowledge and skills necessary for successful and the desired education pathway and career. These results are confirmed by parents when they select the school and also the language of instruction for their children. It can be concluded that languages in the Estonian society a strong symbolic value have. The language of instruction is not only a tool for the acquisition of knowledge and skills, but also seen as an expression of status of the ethnic group in society. That could be the reason why the transition to Estonian-medium studies at the upper secondary level is perceived as a risk to ethnic identity. On the basis of the results of the studies carried out it can be concluded that in the development of ethnic identity in the situation of the education change, different communicative relationships between ethnic identity, education system and society are essential. The changes in society are interpreted at school level and by individuals, and what kind of selections among the different choices are made, are based on those interpretations.
We live in a rapidly changing and increasingly diverse world in which we have to succeed. The questions like What I am? and Where do I belong? and What does this mean to me? are therefore essential, considering also ethnicity , and have to be continuously addressed at the level of society, in everyday life and as a problem that has to be researched. Ethnic self-identification may not be important in all situations, but this aspect of social identity could be essential to a feeling for being valued and not marginalized. The most important environment for ethnic socializing is considered to be in the family. However, the educational environment has been crucial to the development of group affiliations. This thesis focuses on the development of the ethnic identity of Russian-speaking students in Estonia in the context of an important educational change, i.e. the transition to instruction in Estonian. The results of the studies show that the ethnic self-identification of students and the languages of instruction are not directly related, but at the same time language is the main basis for ethnic self-identification. According to the opinion of students Estonian-language, Russian-language and language immersion schools and classes differ mainly from the perspective of language learning. In schools with Estonian as the language of instruction, students acquire good proficiency in Estonian and foreign languages, but proficiency in Russian remains poor. In the estimation of students, Russian-language and bilingual (language immersion) classes offer the possibility to acquire the Russian language, also more knowledge about one’s ethnic group. The students’ main expectation related to the education system is to acquire knowledge and skills necessary for successful and the desired education pathway and career. These results are confirmed by parents when they select the school and also the language of instruction for their children. It can be concluded that languages in the Estonian society a strong symbolic value have. The language of instruction is not only a tool for the acquisition of knowledge and skills, but also seen as an expression of status of the ethnic group in society. That could be the reason why the transition to Estonian-medium studies at the upper secondary level is perceived as a risk to ethnic identity. On the basis of the results of the studies carried out it can be concluded that in the development of ethnic identity in the situation of the education change, different communicative relationships between ethnic identity, education system and society are essential. The changes in society are interpreted at school level and by individuals, and what kind of selections among the different choices are made, are based on those interpretations.
Description
Väitekirja elektrooniline versioon ei sisalda publikatsioone.
Keywords
venekeelsed, õpilased, rahvuslik identiteet, sotsiaalne identiteet, haridusuuendus, Eesti, Russian-speaking groups of populations, students, ethnic identity, social identity, educational innovation, Estonia