SOCIAL DISTANCE IN INTERETHNIC RELATIONS AS A CHALLENGE AND RESOURCE IN TEACHER TRAINING

Abstract

The author of the article provides an analysis of the impact of the duration of higher education on the level of social distance in interethnic relations among young people. The theoretical basis of the work covers the evolution of scientific approaches to the study of interethnic relations in Russian science ‒ from the ideologized paradigm of “friendship of peoples” to modern methodological pluralism. The empirical basis was a sociological survey of first- and second-year students, which measured their willingness to contact representatives of various ethnic groups. The conjugacy tables are used as the main analysis tool, which make it possible to compare the responses of two student courses. The results of the study reveal a statistically stable trend: second-year students demonstrate a systematically lower level of social distance compared to first-year students. The obtained data are interpreted through the prism of the socializing influence of the university environment, which helps to broaden horizons and critically rethink stereotypes.