SOKOLOVA E., DMITRIEVA N. FOSTERING STUDENTS' CIVIC IDENTITY IN THE CONTEXT OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE EDUCATION: RESULTS OF A PEDAGOGICAL EXPERIMENT. LIFELONG EDUCATION: The 21st Century.
2026. Vol. 14. No. 2. DOI: 10.15393/j5.art.2026.12251


Vol. 14. No. 2.

Innovative approaches to lifelong learning
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FOSTERING STUDENTS' CIVIC IDENTITY IN THE CONTEXT OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE EDUCATION: RESULTS OF A PEDAGOGICAL EXPERIMENT

SOKOLOVA Evgeniya I.
PhD in Pedagogical Sciences, Associate Professor of the Foreign Languages Department of Natural and Technical Majors and Specialties
Petrozavodsk State University
(Petrozavodsk, Russian Federatio)
esokolova@mail.ru
DMITRIEVA Natalia K.
PhD in Pedagogical Sciences, Associate Professor, Head of the Foreign Languages Department of Natural and Technical Majors and Specialties
Petrozavodsk State University
(Petrozavodsk, Russian Federation)
nataliadmitrie@yandex.ru
Keywords:
civic identity
foreign language
higher education
pedagogical experiment
intercultural communication
national unity
project-based learning
reflection
teaching methodology.		 Abstract: in light of the increasing relevance of consolidating Russia's multinational society, exploring the educational potential of humanities disciplines, particularly foreign language (FL), acquires significant scientific and practical importance. This article addresses the problem of purposefully fostering a pan-Russian civic identity within the framework of the «Foreign Language» course in higher education. The study aims to experimentally verify the effectiveness of a specially designed methodological model that integrates the theme of national unity into the foreign language training process. The research is based on a pedagogical experiment conducted at Petrozavodsk State University involving second-year non-linguistic majors (N = 44), divided into control and experimental groups. Data were collected using testing, questionnaires, content analysis of written assignments (essays), and participant observation. The results of quantitative and qualitative analysis demonstrated a statistically significant (p < 0,05) superiority of the experimental group in key criteria: cognitive complexity and concretization of understanding the concept of «unity», as well as the level of reflexivity and emotional-value engagement. The study concludes that the proposed model, based on the sequential implementation of comparative analysis strategies, project-based research activities, and reflective practices, is highly pedagogically effective. The findings contribute to FL teaching methodology by offering an evidence-based toolkit for addressing civic-patriotic education objectives in higher education without compromising the communicative and professional goals of the discipline.
Paper submitted on: 02/10/2026; Accepted on: 05/06/2026; Published online on: 06/26/2026.

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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15393/j5.art.2026.12251