Factor structure of assertity questionnaire

The authors made an attempt to reduce the number of items on the A26 questionnaire by improving the factor structure of the assertiveness questionnaire. Thepreviously carried out development of a reliable and valid Russian-language assertiveness questionnaire A26 made it possible to obtain a large number of results, including partially repeating foreign ones, but also showing significant differences in the properties of assertion among Russian-speaking research participants. Questionnaire A26 includes 26 questions aimed at finding out how a person behaves in relation to others, to friends, close people and how he reacts to various life situations. Correlation and factor (exploratory and confirmatory) analyses of the original version of the A26 questionnaire and its version A23, reduced to 23 items, were carried out. Thefactorial models of the A26 and A23 questionnaires are presented and analysed. Both of them contain factor 1 «confidence» and factor 2 «determination», which include all items of A23, but in A26 there are two items that are not included in any of the factors. Model A23 is more strongly associated with the indicated factors of assertiveness, as well as with the most reliable correlates of assertiveness: strategies of behaviour in conflict, life satisfaction (positive connection) and shyness (negative connection). At the same time, A23 has better uniformity and discrimination than A26. Thecorrelation between A26 and A23 is 0.988. We obtained a reduced to 23 items version (A23) of the assertiveness questionnaire with the best psychometric properties, which meets the main criteria of reliability and validity. Thearticle contains the full (A26) and abbreviated (A23) versions of the assertiveness questionnaire.

Russians’ interpretation of happiness and its determinants: results of the survey

The article presents the results of the representative all-Russian online survey conducted in the late 2020 – early 2021, i. e., in the period defined today by the scientific, authorities and everyday discourses as pre-covid-19 or pre-pandemic. At that time, and the situation has not changed, rankings became extremely popular, including the ranking of countries by the level of happiness, despite the fact that the very word «happiness» is ambiguous, full of contradictory connotations and difficult to define conceptually and empirically even within the disciplinary framework of specific disciplines, including sociology. The article presents the results of the survey (dominant interpretations of happiness, self-estimates in terms of happiness, etc.) and methodological conclusions (pressure of social desirability, gender and generational measurements of happiness and its definitions) from the online survey conducted with the authors questionnaire which allowed respondents to assess their level of happiness and to express their opinion on how it should be defined and what can influence it (a combination of direct and indirect questions).

Century of the Communist Party of China and the perspective of socialism with a Chinese specificity

The article analyses the main directions and paths of Chinese modernisation, the features of the US’ opposition to it, it is concluded that the success of socialism with Chinese characteristics creates a new world situation in which new socio-economic civilisational foundations can create a society of socialist orientation. It is noted that Deng Xiaoping, without holding any government posts, being only the chairman of the CPC Central Committee’s Defense Committee, led the process of Chinese modernisation, which brought China to the forefront of scientific, technological and social progress in the world. The author argues that the basis of Chinese success is the Leninist formula of the NEP – the use of private entrepreneurship under the control of a socialist state in order to develop at an accelerated rate of social wealth in the amount necessary to meet the basic life needs of its citizens. The path of China was fraught with many unsuccessful and tragic experiments, therefore the current socio-economic leap forward in civilisation is an unprecedented event in world history. The implementation of goals and objectives of such a global scale will make serious changes in the world order, and require a new political philosophy. The success of socialism with Chinese characteristics within the country, as well as in programs to support the progressive development of countries and peoples of the world ready for cooperation, allows us to give a cautious optimistic assessment of the future Chinese perspective. And this, according to the author, is today a clear threat to the tasks and goals of American domination in the world.

Civilisation approach in Russia and its historical evolution

The article examines the features of the evolution of the civilisational approach in Russia. The historical stages of the formation of the civilisational approach in Russian political thought, starting from the pre-revolutionary times and ending with the post-Soviet period, are considered. The works of N. Danilevsky, L. Gumilyov, A. Dugin, V. Tsymbursky are analysed. It is concluded that the civilisational approach in Russia was especially in demand due to the specific nature of Russia’s relations with the Western world and within the discussion about Russia’s belonging to European civilisation. In the perspective of the world-system analysis, the development of the civilisational paradigm in Russia was due to its being on the semi-periphery of the capitalist world-system. It has always complicated relations with the Western countries belonging the world-systemic core. The findings can be used within the study of the processes of formation of national and sociocultural identity in the post-Soviet space, as well as in teaching disciplines of the socio-humanitarian block (political science, history of political doctrines).

Post-Soviet trends in the development of nonformal education of children and youth: Belarusian case

In this article the author analyses the processes of sociogenesis and transformation of the system of additional education for children and youth in the social-temporal continuum which is set by the challenges of the post-Soviet period of the formation of the Republic of Belarus as a sovereign state. The main socio-cultural formats and trends of innovative development of additional education that presented as a social system and socio-educational practice were studied. The author explores methodological approaches to the analysis of additional education as a variable polydisciplinary type of education which is not regulated by state educational standards. Today additional education is considered as a social technology of formal education, non-formal education and development. The article provides up-to-date statistical information about social actors who implement additional education for children and youth in the Republic of Belarus. This approach allows us to consider additional education as a sociosphere of resource opportunities that increase the efficiency of socialisation process of students.

Genesis of theoretical grounds for the use of triangulation in sociological research

The article considers the history of formation of qualitative and quantitative methodological approaches in sociology. The historical reconstruction of the fundamental ideas of representatives of these areas makes it possible to better understand their relationship, to determine the possibilities of their interaction in the study of social reality. In this regard, the article analyses the qualitative and quantitative strategy of sociological research taking into account their ontological, epistemological, axiological and methodological principles. A meaningful analysis of the three «waves», the stages of sociological cognition makes it possible to understand the specifics of the development of sociological knowledge, determine central ideas and values, and better understand the dynamics of the interaction of existing approaches and paradigms. Qualitative and quantitative methodological approaches in social sciences arose almost simultaneously, but their further development was extremely uneven, and their use to study and explain social reality for a long time was not based on the principles of parity interaction. The expansion of the practice of sociological research in a situation of high dynamics of social processes made it possible to increase the level of research culture, the understanding of values and cognitive differences in qualitative and quantitative methodologies made it possible and necessary to use them together. The basis for combining qualitative and quantitative methodological approaches is their functional additionality, which is expressed in the ability to most fully represent various aspects of the study of the same subject area. We are talking about methodological, conceptual triangulation as a strategy for the interaction of qualitative and quantitative approaches in the study of social problems using qualitative and quantitative methods for collecting and analysing sociological information. Such a technique increases the completeness and reliability of the received information, expands research capabilities.

The philosophy of populism in the work of a sociologist: in memory of Irina Albertovna Khaliy (1950–2020)

In memory of the Russian sociologist I. A. Khaliy, known for her research in the field of civil society, environmental sociology, local communities, social movements and non-profit organisations, the article analyses the philosophy of populism, which was actively used by the sociologist in her research. The analysis is built in two stages. The first one is based on highlighting the main views of the populists and their subsequent criticism, with access to a number of areas that were affected by populist thought, such as man and his nature, the question of solidarity and signs of social life, the doctrine of human needs, methods and methodology of social sciences, philosophy of action as a research position. The second stage is a comparative analysis, as a result of which it is considered how the views of the populists were reflected in the work of I. A. Khaliy, what refraction and sound they acquired a century later from the point of view of practical application. The work is all the more interesting because it gives an idea of the philosophy of populism not as an obsolete phenomenon of the past, but as a phenomenon of the present, which turns out to be especially relevant in a situation of systemic crises and their assessment, including by intellectuals and representatives of the intelligentsia.

Can anomie be normal?

The idea of rediscovering anomie is analysed, which is associated with the influence of acceleration and complication of modern society. The category of «normal anomie», which is understood as an expanding set of vulnerabilities for society in the form of side effects of innovative, rational-pragmatic human activity, is being investigated in a discussion form. The article is subject to critical rethinking of the transformation processes today. Social practices of «normal anomie» in Belarus are revealed through the prism of sociological research. The author brings up the concept of total anomie for discussion of the sociological community.

Inequality of children’s opportunities in extracurricular education in post-Soviet countries

The article considers the problem of inequality of opportunities for children’s participation in extracurricular education in the countries of the former Soviet Union. The differences in the general coverage of extracurricular education and the peculiarities of participation due to the territory of children’s residence (urban and rural) are presented and analysed. There is also a discussion of the trends and causes of changes in extracurricular education’s availability in the post-Soviet period. The article analyses the legislative regulation of the issues of extracurricular education’s accessibility and the content of national policies to ensure the fair and inclusive nature of extracurricular education. An attempt is made to correlate the level of institutionalisation of national regulation of extracurricular education with the participation rate. The article is based on quantitative and qualitative data collected during a two-year study of the institutional transformation of the extracurricular education sector in the countries of the former Soviet Union.

Skilling digital technologies in the labour sphere: experience of empirical research in Minsk and Saint Petersburg

Article is written on the basis of an analysis of empirical data obtained in 2021 from sociological studies conducted in Saint Petersburg and Minsk – cities with a population of one million, which served as the object of research of the current digital transformation. A feature of both samples was the large percentage of people with higher education among the employed population. In fact, we studied a group of urban professionals. The authors identify trends in the world of work that detail digital transformation processes. The purpose of the article is to describe the trends in the digitalisation process in the world of work in a large city and to reveal how relevant these trends are for the Belarusian and Russian professionals. The authors show the level of digital acquisition of the employed urban population today, as well as the impact on this process of the previous year associated with the pandemic and the inevitable transition of a part of the employed population to remote work. The article presents the factors that determine the labour motivation of urban professionals of different levels in their mastering of information and communication technologies, reveals the development trends of labour digitalisation processes and their impact on certain groups of professionals employed in both production and non-production spheres. It is concluded that the motivation of the employed population to master new digital knowledge directly depends on how much a person needs it in the workplace, contributes to his career advancement or helps to keep the workplace.