The Ability of Primary School Students to Interact with Their Peers in a Multinational Society

Original article

DOI: 10.15293/1812-9463.2603.10

Irina V. Verkhovykh
South Ural State Humanitarian Pedagogical University, Chelyabinsk, Russia

Inga V. Zabrodina
South Ural State Humanitarian Pedagogical University, Chelyabinsk, Russia

Alfiya K. Sagdatullina
Kazan Federal University, Kazan, Russia

Igor V. Nagornov
South Ural State Humanitarian Pedagogical University, Chelyabinsk, Russia

Dmitry A. Saraykin
South Ural State Humanitarian Pedagogical University, Chelyabinsk, Russia

 

 

Abstract.

Introduction. The relevance of the study is driven by an objective contradiction between the demand, as articulated in the Federal State Educational Standard for Primary General Education, for educating a personality prepared for constructive interethnic dialogue, and the actual pedagogical practice in primary schools, where the development of the ability to interact with peers in a polyethnic environment most often occurs spontaneously, without reliance on specially designed didactic conditions. The research problem lies in the absence, within both the theory and practice of primary education, of a scientifically grounded model for the stage-by-stage formation of conscious and value-oriented behavior in primary schoolchildren in situations of intercultural communication. This leads to a misalignment between students’ awareness of the principles of respectful cooperation and their actual communicative actions in a multinational classroom. The aim of this article is to reveal the content of this skill, to present the author’s model of its formation, and to outline the ways of its implementation taking into account the multi-ethnic and multi-religious nature of Russian society.

Methodology. The study employed a set of theoretical methods: comparative analysis of psychological, pedagogical, and methodological literature, as well as generalization and systematization of pedagogical experience. The empirical part included a diagnostic study of the level of development of primary schoolchildren’s ability to interact with peers in a polyethnic group, based on the methods of unfinished stories and questionnaires.

Results. The comparative analysis revealed the specific features of the target orientations within the spiritual-moral domain in a multicultural educational space: emphasis is placed on the value of the human person, on respectful attitudes toward others regardless of their national, cultural, or religious affiliation, and on the development of communication skills for interethnic dialogue and cooperation. The findings of the ascertaining assessment confirm the persistent gap between the declared norms of interethnic interaction and children’s actual behavior. The empirical data obtained formed the basis for the author’s model of developing this ability, while the identified typical difficulties (inability to consider the emotional state of a peer of a different nationality, stereotypical reactions in non-standard situations) allowed for a more precise specification of the substantive content of each identified component. The proposed methods for developing the ability under study directly address the deficits recorded among real students.

Conclusion. The scientific novelty of the research lies in defining the substantive characteristics of the components of primary schoolchildren’s ability to interact with peers in a polyethnic environment. The conditions and methods for the development of each component are determined through the inclusion of students in various types of activities, ensuring a sequential progression from the assimilation of spiritual-moral values to their internalization, and further, to the accumulation of experience in positive interethnic interaction. The pedagogical innovation consists in the creation of a structural-content model comprising three interconnected stages: 1) the axiological stage (appropriation of the value “The Other is equal to me” through the analysis of literary and ethnocultural texts), 2) the activity-reflexive stage (living through interethnic situations in role-playing games and projects, followed by reflection), and 3) the practice-oriented stage (independent application of cooperation skills in joint creative activities with children of other nationalities).

Keywords: spiritual and moral education; spiritual and moral education of younger schoolchildren; the ability to interact with peers; multinational society; polyreligious society.

For Citation: Verkhovykh I. V., Zabrodina I. V., Sagdatullina A. K., Nagornov I. V., Saraykin D. A. The Ability of Primary School Students to Interact with Their Peers in a Multinational Society. Journal of Pedagogical Innovations, 2026, no. 3 (83), pp. 116–128. (In Russ.) DOI: https://doi.org/10.15293/1812-9463.2603.10

 

 

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Information about the Authors

Irina V. Verkhovykh – Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences, Associate Professor of the Department of Theory, Methodology and Management of Primary Education, South Ural State Humanitarian Pedagogical University, Chelyabinsk, Russia, http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4799-9985, verhovihiv@cspu.ru

Inga V. Zabrodina – Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences, Associate Professor of the Department of Department of Theory, Methodology and Management of Primary Education, South Ural State Humanitarian Pedagogical University, Chelyabinsk, Russia, http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0885-9461, zabrodinaiv@cspu.ru

Alfiya K. Sagdatullina – Senior Lecturer of the Department of Conflict Studies, Kazan Federal University, Kazan, Russia, https://orcid.org/0009-0009-2769-3111, AKSagdatullina@kpfu.ru

Igor V. Nagornov – Senior Lecturer of the Department of Physical Education, South Ural State Humanitarian Pedagogical University, Chelyabinsk, Russia, http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5321-4131, nagornoviv@cspu.ru

Dmitry A. Saraykin – Candidate of Biological Sciences, Associate Professor of the Department of Life Safety Medical and Biological Disciplines, South Ural State Humanitarian Pedagogical University, Chelyabinsk, Russia, https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1347-3408, saraykind@cspu.ru

Authors’ contribution: Authors have all made an equivalent contribution to preparing the article for publication.

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Received: 26.05.2026; approved after peer review: 06.07.2026; accepted for publication: 18.08.2026.