The Russian Language in Kyrgyzstan through the Lens of Students

Abstract

Introduction. The Kyrgyz and Russian languages reflect the language situation in the Kyrgyz Republic. Recently, the public discourse on the relationship between the two languages has attracted scientific attention. National surveys on the prospects of Russian as a functional language in education, public life, and government agencies are being conducted. While there are several studies on this issue, research on the opinions of the younger generation, constituting the majority of the countryʼs population, is almost non-existent. This article analyzes the current status of the Russian language in the Kyrgyz Republic and identifies its role in the personal and motivational preferences of students. Мaterials and Methods. The sociocultural approach forms the methodological foundation of the study. We conducted the survey research which involved 130 students majoring in teacher education from the Osh region in the Republic of Kyrgyzstan. The frequency analysis was carried out for empirical data processing. In addition, the contingency tables were created. Pearson’s chi-square test and the Fisher’s exact test were employed to test the hypothesis that there was a relationship between the variables. The analysis was carried out with the help of the IBM SPSS Statistics. Results. The analysis of the survey results revealed that the majority of students have a positive attitude towards Russia and cooperation between the two countries in various spheres of activity. At the same time, students from rural areas had a higher rate of agreement with these statements. It was revealed that the distribution of answers had a statistical dependence on the place of residence. The highest values were recorded in studentsʼ answers related to statements about the Russian language. The participants ‒ future teachers ‒ expressed great interest in studying Russian language for the purpose of professional and personal growth. Discussion and Conclusion. The present study confirmed that the language policy of a state should take into consideration the practical needs of young people, who consciously treat Russian as a reliable way to unlock their inner potential and improve their professional competitiveness. Therefore, there is an objective need to improve the quality of Russian teaching and to introduce joint effective practices of language education. The materials of the article can be useful for scientific and methodological research of the identified problems.