Studying the practices of implementing a multilingual model of multicultural education in the Russian Federation
Authors:   Bashkir State Pedagogical University named after M. Akmulla, Iksanova Raisa Mingazitdinovna , Kireeva Zarima Rinatovna ,   Bashkir State Pedagogical University named after M. Akmulla, Sattarov Eduard Irekovich ,   Bashkir State Pedagogical University named after M. Akmulla, Sagitov Salavat Talgatovich ,   Bashkir State Pedagogical University named after M. Akmulla
Published: March 2022

Introduction. The article discusses the practices of implementing a multilingual model of multicultural education in the Russian Federation. The Russian Federation is a multinational and linguistically diverse country. The official language of the country is Russian; 37 state languages are spoken in the republics of the Russian Federation; more than 15 languages have an official status. For a number of regions of the country, the model of multilingual learning is extremely relevant. The purpose of the article is to study the practices of implementing a multilingual model of multicultural education in the territory of the Russian Federation and to conduct their comparative analysis. Materials and Methods. Within the framework of the study, the analysis of legislative documents regulating the processes of multicultural and multilingual education in the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania, Kabardino-Balkar Republic, Chechen Republic, Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), Republic of Tatarstan, Chuvash Republic, Republic of Bashkortostan (state programs, concepts, regulations, etc.) was carried out. Data gathering included round-table discussions and interviews with the representatives of academic and teaching communities of the regions; analyses of curricula, syllabi and teaching materials on language disciplines; lesson observations; questionnaires and language assessment of primary (4th grade) and secondary schoolchildren (8th grade) in foreign and native languages; analysis of academic performance and attainment (e.g. the results of the All-Russian Olympiad of schoolchildren in Russian and Foreign Languages, national assessment, state final certification, and final national examinations). Results. The research team of Bashkir State Pedagogical University named after M. Akmulla, in accordance with the state task in the field of science of the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation, has been implementing a research investigation ‘Comparative analysis of the practices of implementing a multilingual model of multicultural education (with the main focus on the Republics of Bashkortostan, Tatarstan, North Ossetia-Alania, Sakha (Yakutia), etc.)’ since 2021. The authors have determined the main types of models of multilingual education implemented in the studied regions. In particular, the models presented in the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania, the Republic of Tatarstan and the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) are reported to be the most developed as they have been implemented for several years. The findings in this study contribute to a greater understanding of the specifics of multilingual education in Russia and the study makes a theoretical contribution to multilingual education in general. Conclusions. The article concludes that currently there is no a single coordinated model for multilingual education in Russian schools. The development of a multilingual model of multicultural education is primarily aimed at preserving and further developing the native languages in the subjects of the Russian Federation, remaining one of the most important tasks not only in terms of solving narrow ethno-cultural problems, but also in the context of preserving the natural multicultural basis of the multinational Russian state.