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Concepts of Rurality in Modern Education: the Formulation of a Research Problem. Education & Pedagogy Journal. 2024;4(12):71-89. DOI:

As the modern village evolves, with shifts in lifestyle, identity, daily practices, and a growing diversification of the rural economy, it becomes necessary to broaden the traditional range of career options for rural students. An analysis of rural school development programs shows that, in most cases, the strategic educational objectives are hardly linked to the economic and sociocultural characteristics of the areas in which they are located. A task allocation that correlates with rural identity and the local sociocultural code is extremely rare. If we look at the strategies for the vocational self-determination of rural students, generally oriented towards the agricultural sector, and the mechanisms for their implementation, we see that they are stereotypical and have a certain formalism. Perhaps for this very reason, the potential of a rural school is not really considered by those responsible as a factor and resource for the socio economic development of the territory. In this context, the goal setting of rural schools concerning the self determined life of students, which is important for rural identity and the specificities of the territories in which they are located, is becoming increasingly important. In this case, the rural school can be considered a key element of the infrastructure that allows the diffusion and rooting of the rural code in the life and professional paths of rural youth. The study aims to pose a research problem on the necessity of a modern concept of rurality within the framework of rural school pedagogy as an independent branch of pedagogical science. Our scientific research will refer to our previously formed understanding of rural school as “a complexly organized educational system capable of self-organization and self-regulation under the conditions of a hybrid (real/virtual) ontology... Its basic characteristics are multifunctionality, openness, continuity, adaptability to the local culture of a given rural society, and convergence.” The existing concepts of rurality, which are based on a sociological approach, are interdisciplinary. The basic ideas about the network society are reflected in the scientific approaches used for the theoretical identification of the village and the conceptualization of rurality in the post-industrial era. In our view, the most important approaches are the sociocultural, spatial, and systemic approaches. The sociocultural approach makes it possible to expand the boundaries of research by considering a rural school in a system of cultural coordinates (meanings, values, value orientations, principles) that ensures social connections and at the center of which is the active human being (homo activus), a multidimensional bio-socio-cultural being. Spatial and systemic approaches are needed in research as complementary approaches. The spatial approach aims to explain the village’s situation in the context of globalization and urbanization of the modern world and the implementation of Russian state programs for the economic development of territories. From a theoretical point of view, one can rely on understanding the village as a totality of changing physical and social spaces. A systematic approach helps to maintain the integrity and structure of the study. The peculiarities of the new rurality and its characteristics can be considered in developing rural-oriented strategies for the self-determined lives of students in rural schools. Education that incorporates the sociocultural code by strengthening rurality should aim to develop creativity, critical thinking, communication skills, and the ability to work together. This is fundamental for future professionals who can reshape the rural economy by considering market demands.

Keywords: concept, rural-oriented strategies, self-determined life, students, rural schools