Russian Cultural Patterns: Addressing the Challenge of Raising Individual Responsibility

On October 28 Olga Kovbasyuk (PhD, associate professor, European Business School, Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University) took part in the "Culture matters" research seminar with the report "Russian Cultural Patterns: Addressing the Challenge of Raising Individual Responsibility".

Cultural diversity in education is growing, globally. The tendency is represented in Russian education as well. It makes critical for students and teachers to understand their own cultural dimensions to be able to appreciate cultural diversity of the world. The study explored cultural diversity in Russia via the dimensions of learning framework (CDLF), including cultural varieties regarding social relationships and epistemological beliefs. The report illustrated the spectrum of dimensions' variability as they might influence the way students and teachers interact in Russia and draw to historical roots of such interaction. The study addressed the challenge of raising individual responsibility of students and teachers and suggested that this challenge can be reduced by applying a meaning-centered approach, which aims at developing personal responsibility for one's own deeds and increases awareness of one's own cultural heritage.