Socio-Psychological Characteristics of Communication between Adolescents and Teachers in Classes with Mixed Ethnic Composition

The article presents main results of a study on the specifics of communication between adolescents and teachers in classes with mixed ethnic composition. The study involved 30 teachers and 90 students from 8th grade from two Moscow schools, aged 13-14 years. We hypothesized that multi-ethnic class is associated with specific changes in the communicative, interactive and perceptive sides of communication of adolescents with teachers of this class. The modified technique of “Unfinished Sentences” and “Repertory Grids” by G. Kelly were used in the study. The results indicate that 1) Russian children from both schools are more satisfied with communication with their teachers than children of other ethnic groups; 2) for students in classes with mixed ethnic composition the positive interaction with the teacher is more significant than for students in mono-ethnic classes; 3) pupils in classes with mixed ethnic composition are more knowledgeable in matters relating to ethnic self-consciousness, nationality and identity, and are more likely to differentiate teachers on a national basis, attributing to teachers of another ethnicity more negative traits than students in mono-ethnic classes; 4) the teachers working in classes with mixed ethnic composition tend to separate Russian and children and children of other ethnicities and attribute to them more negative qualities than to Russian children.

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