This article presents the results of a study on the motivation of students in Russian universities for research work. The authors consider the influence of various factors in the modern academic environment on students' motivation based on the traditional theory of terminal and instrumental motivation. The study's relevance lies in the necessity to monitor research on student motivation in the workforce crisis of higher education, as students involved in science with early academic career experience are considered today as the highest quality talent pool for university science. The issue is that while external institutional support measures for young researchers facilitate their entry into the academic community, they cannot retain them. The formation of a stable value-motivational core of students' research activities is seen as a potential solution to this issue. The goal of the article is to determine the dominant motives for students' participation in research activities in the first two levels of higher education in Russia. The analysis also considers the influence of students' socio-demographic characteristics (gender, educational background, field of study, form of education, place of residence before entering university, and the financial situation of the family), success (training and research activities), the presence of a research tutor, and plans. The empirical basis of the article is the results of a nationwide study on the research culture among Russian students, conducted in February–March 2023. 3,032 students from 37 universities across all federal districts of the country were interviewed by mass online survey. The study concludes that the participation of modern Russian students in research activities is motivated by a combination of terminal and instrumental motives. Extreme forms of terminal or instrumental motives are not typical of modern youth. Factors of the academic environment such as academic success and the presence of a research tutor are more significant for the creation of terminal motivation for students to participate in research than socio-demographic factors. The practical importance of the results lies in the possibility of their application in the development of programs for involving students in research fields, as well as scientific mentoring programs in Russian universities.

The article aims to consider the possibilities of using the traditions of the Siberian merchants as a whole and their personalities to develop pro-social and business qualities among modern youth focused on entrepreneurial activity. The work updates the problems of the development of youth entrepreneurship in modern Russia. The authors point out the role models underestimation in the youth public policy. The theoretical part reveals the concept of a role model and provides the main directions of research into the influence of role models on recipients. Based on analysis of scientific literature, the functions of role models in entrepreneurship were highlighted: training, motivation, and the formation of individual self-esteem. The features of the relationship between entrepreneurs and role models, which are manifested in the unequal influence of the latter, are revealed. The empirical part of the work is based on content analysis of biographies. In total, 5 persons of famous Tyumen merchants were selected. During the analysis of their biographies, indicative episodes of their lives were highlight- ed. These episodes demonstrate character traits and activities that were positive for the development of the entrepreneur and society. Role models of Siberian merchants is positive for future and current young entrepreneurs.

This article analyzes the phenomenon of professional identity among modern youth. The authors examine existing approaches to improving the formation of professionalism in young specialists, identifying trends that influence changes in educational standards. The article also outlines current state programs aimed at fostering the professionalism of youth and highlights the challenges in developing professional identity. The concept of a "career" is an integral part of modern work. The literature analysis helped to formulate theoretical conclusions, develop practical recommendations, and outline future research prospects. It was argued that self-esteem in one's work can be developed through professional implementation and that professional identity provides an individual with a means of self-expression. A career is seen as a category of human mobility, with its focus on advancement while professional identity is viewed as a category of human authenticity, with its focus on self-expression.

In the current global landscape of significant changes, Russian foreign policy is also undergoing notable transformations. Since 2014, and especially after 2022, Western countries, led by the United States, have been actively pursuing a policy of containing Russia, which entails a change in the parameters of Russian foreign policy.

Despite continuing regional priorities in the post-Soviet space, Russia now seeks to participate in shaping the new world order. This is reflected in redefinition of goals and objectives in the basic documents that guide the foreign policy of the Russian Federation. A significant area of interest is the study of Russians’ attitudes, particularly those of progressive social groups such as young people, toward the ongoing course of Russian foreign policy. It helps to identify the readiness of citizens to support various directions of Russian foreign policy. The importance of the issue being discussed is also attributed to the fact that there has not been enough research into the foreign policy orientations of various young groups. In particular, there is a lack of comprehensive studies of the attitudes of young people, especially students, toward Russia's current foreign policy. The aim of this article is to analyze of the views of modern youth about the Russia's foreign policy course from the perspective of their general assessment and differentiation of opinions, taking into account the socio-demographic characteristics and social resources of young people. This article uses data from sociological research among youth in the regions of Penza, Tyumen, and Saratov in 2023-2024, as well as the findings of other sociological studies on similar topics. From this analysis, the author concludes that there is a high level of youth interest in global political events and a generally positive view of Russia's current foreign policy. Additionally, significant factors influencing the foreign policy orientations of modern youth include gender, age, type of settlement, and material well-being.

The findings can be used in the development of youth policies to create mechanisms that promote a positive perception of Russia's foreign policy among young people, which is crucial for supporting the country's current foreign policy direction.

This article delves into the study of the transformation of public culture within the context of the interplay between culture and civilization, which is highly relevant to contemporary sociology of culture. It analyzes the features of both concepts, their origins, and their application in this article. The transformation of culture is explored through a comparative analysis of classical works that investigate these phenomena within the context of social dynamics. The article refers mainly to the works of N. Ya. Danilevsky, O. Spengler, T. Lessing, A. Toynbee, P. Sorokin, all of whom have significantly contributed to the methodology of the civilizational approach in modern sociology of culture, and A. Dugin, who substantiated the concept of “state-civilization” in relation to Russia. The concept of "public culture" is considered a fundamental integral concept reflecting the general and particular characteristics inherent in social interactions. Among various definitions of culture, the authors rely on A. Mol's definition as being most aligned with the goals of this study. The article notes the evolution of culture into civilization within the historical process and highlights the characteristic features of both phenomena. The crisis phenomena of modern civilization, labeled "alienation" in sociological literature, are considered inherent in the social processes of the transitional period. The theoretical content of the concept is identified by the authors within the methodology presented in the classical works of K. Marx, F. Nietzsche, H. Marcuse, A. Giddens, and J. Baudrillard, among others. The authors focus on defining the basic elements of the concepts of "culture" and "civilization," understanding their historical and modern correlation, identifying characteristic moments in the sociodynamics of these social phenomena, and comparing traditional and modern under- standings of the problem of alienation as applied to contemporary sociology of culture.

The problem of students choosing their future profession is currently associated with the diversity of the world of professions, its constant transformation, and the lack of ideas among young people about the competencies that will be in demand in the labor market. The school is a basic institution for carrying out career guidance work on the choice of future professional activity by young people. The purpose of the article is to analyze the opinions of participants in the educational process (teachers, high school students, and parents) about the implementation of the function of career guidance by the school.

The empirical basis of the work was the results of mass online surveys of teachers, high school students, and parents in Yekaterinburg. The study was conducted in December 2023 with the support of the Department of Education of the Yekaterinburg City Administration. The sample population of teachers amounted to 794 people, high school students (grades 8-11) – 3366 people, and parents – 2157 people.

The results of the survey led to the conclusion that high school students, parents, and teachers understand the importance of higher education and its role in achieving success in life. Material well-being and comfort, decent wages are key value orientations for high school students. High school students tend to delay the decision-making process in choosing the direction of professional activity, which is primarily due to the uncertainty of interests and fear of failure. The real and desired forms of career guidance work in schools of the Ural megalopolis are shown. Three key problems of the implementation of career guidance work at school are high- lighted: the difficulty of students choosing areas of professional activity, the reluctance of some teachers to involve students in the process of selecting the direction of future professional activity; the lack of demand among high school students and parents of the existing formats of career guidance activities in schools. some of the problems can be solved by integrating the efforts of the school and the parent community through the use of more interesting methods and forms of career guidance; the development of municipal programs to attract qualified career guidance specialists to schools; the development of partnerships with enterprises and institutions that provide great opportunities for students to get acquainted with different professions.

The article is devoted to the problem of the formation and promotion of conservative ideological and political discourse in the format of the political and legal field of Russia in the post-Soviet period. This process has been going on at an ever-increasing pace for more than twenty years: there is a gradual displacement of quasi-liberal ideological discourse from the entire space of political life in Russia and its replacement by conservative ideological discourse. The article, based on a comprehensive analysis, first of all, of official legal acts, proves that to date a transformation of the ideological and political space of Russia has taken place, and the conservative transition is close to completion. Conservative replacement from a scientific-theoretical, journalistic, affective format began to systematically move into the format of a real political and legal field, into the format of several existing political and legal acts. The supreme state power of Russia and its society as a whole has made a conservative ideological choice.