Social Behavior of University Students in the Educational Sphere in the Rostov Region and the Republic of Crimea: A Comparative Perspective

Abstract

The present article examines the specificity of social behavior of students of two regions – the Rostov Region and the Republic of Crimea. The notions of education as a terminal and instrumental value, attitudes towards academic mobility practices, the implementation of such practices, and motives are studied as the foundations of differences between the regions. The methodological construct is developed based on the theoretical approaches of A.V. Lubskii on mental programs, the value approach of M. Rokeach, the neo-institutional approach of D. North, and the activity approach in the study of social practices. The comparative analysis of two questionnaires allows concluding that the specificity of social behavior of the citizens of Crimea lies in a lesser focus on high financial income as a result of obtaining education, lower attitudes towards intra-Russian mobility, the awareness of the peninsula’s closedness to international mobility due to the lack of financial capabilities, and high support for classical versus online learning. The number of educational practices realized by students is much lower in Crimea compared to the Rostov Region. This finding shows the need to introduce such opportunities for students in the peninsula’s system of higher education.