The Resource of the Socio-Cultural Environment for the Adaptation of Migrant Children: Saint Petersburg’s Experience

DOI: 10.33876/2311-0546/2025-2/97-108

Abstract

The problem of socio-cultural and linguistic adaptation and integration of migrant families from neighboring countries into the Russian society has persisted for over a decade after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Although the intensity of migration flows to Russia has decreased in recent years, families with children who have already relocated to the country (mainly from the Central Asian republics) have resulted in a high concentration of migrants in certain regions, districts and educational institutions. This requires society and the state to take measures to harmoniously integrate these groups into the host community. To do so, it is necessary to study and scale up successful practices employed by educational organizations. The article examines the experience of Saint Petersburg in using the resources of the socio-cultural environment for the adaptation and integration of non-native children, using the example of the experience of School No. 443 in the Frunzensky district. Over the past 10–15 years, the school's teaching staff has accumulated extensive and successful experience in this field, actively using the museum complexes of Saint Petersburg and out-of-school learning sites within the district, while engaging social partners and parents in these endeavors. The annual test results of migrant children studying at the school demonstrate not only a progressive increase in the Russian language proficiency and overall academic performance, but also positive changes in the personality structure of children for whom other languages are their native tongue. These children have exhibited successful inclusion in the cultural space of the city and the country, a sense of belonging to the socio-cultural spaces of the city and Russian society as a whole. It seems highly advisable to extend the school's experience to educational organizations in Saint Petersburg and other major cities of the Russian Federation.