From Communication to Integration: The Role of the Russian Language in Interethnic Interactions and the Educational Future of Migrant Children

DOI: 10.33876/2311-0546/2026-2/43-58

Authors

Keywords:

migration, migrants, adaptation of migrants, adaptation of children, educational adaptation, language adaptation, cultural adaptation, social adaptation

Abstract

This study addresses the lack of empirical data necessary for developing effective strategies to support the linguistic, educational, and cultural integration of children from migrant families. Children with migration backgrounds face a variety of challenges when adapting to a new social, legal, economic, cultural, and particularly educational environments. This process demands not only linguistic competence but also the ability to internalize new normative frameworks and educational practices. This article examines the adaptation process of migrant children by exploring three key aspects: their migration history, post-migration adaptation, and how acquired adaptation skills shape their prospects for future success in a new social environment. The analysis relies on primary sociological data, including a survey of 830 migrants from Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan working in Moscow and the Moscow Oblast, along with semi-structured interviews with 213 children with a migration backgrounds aged 14–17 (interviews were conducted with parental consent in 2024–2025. The findings reveal that the adaptation of children with migration backgrounds is a prolonged and multidimensional process, within which educational adaptation operates as a key institutional mechanism for navigating and assimilating into a new social environment. Successful educational and social adaptation not only facilitates a child's personal development but also functions as critical capital for future attainment shaping professional trajectories, academic advancement, and civic participation. Additionally, the study explores the social conditions that enable or constrain successful adaptation, with particular focus on the role of family, educational institutions, and other social agents in fostering migrant children's integration into learning environments that promote development and socialization. Future studies should longitudinally track adaptation trajectories across diverse contexts, examining intersectional factors (gender, class, ethnicity) and institutional policies' long-term impacts on educational mobility and social inclusion

Author Biographies

  • Olga Volkova, the Federal Center of Theoretical and Applied Sociology of the Russian Academy of Sciences

    Volkova, Olga A. — Doctor in Sociology, Professor, Institute of Social Demography, the Federal Center of Theoretical and Applied Sociology of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Moscow, Russian Federation). E-mail: volkovaoa@rambler.ru ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5325-0730 Scopus ID: 55962445600, Researcher ID: S-6912-2016, SPIN-code: 1780-5071

  • Tatyana Yudina, the Federal Center of Theoretical and Applied Sociology of the Russian Academy of Sciences

    Yudina, Tatyana N. — Doctor in Sociology, Professor, Institute of Social Demography, the Federal Center of Theoretical and Applied Sociology of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Moscow, Russian Federation). E-mail: ioudinatn@mail.ru ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7785-8601, Scopus ID: 36907342200, Researcher ID: 5028-2015, SPIN-code: 4150-5328

  • Victoria Ledeneva, the Federal Center of Theoretical and Applied Sociology of the Russian Academy of Sciences

    Ledeneva, Victoria Yu. — Doctor in Sociology, Professor, Institute of Social Demography, the Federal Center of Theoretical and Applied Sociology of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Moscow, Russian Federation). E-mail: vy.ledeneva@yandex.ru ORCID ID:  https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9478-2917, Scopus ID: 57208709009, Researcher ID: AAU-6083-2021, SPIN-code: 3331-0909

    For citation: Volkova, O. A., T. N.  Yudina, and V. Yu. Ledeneva. 2026. From Communication to Integration: The Role of the Russian Language in Interethnic Interactions and the Educational Future of Migrant Children. Herald of Anthropology (Vestnik antropologii) 2: 43–58.

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Published

11.06.2026

Issue

No. 2 (2026): Herald of Anthropology (Vestnik antropologii)

Section

Идентичность в количественном измерении