The Peculiarities of Ideas about Law and Justice among High School Students

Introduction. In recent decades, scholars have shown greater research interest in aspects of legal literacy of young people regarding democratic processes in the Russian society. However, despite increasing relevance of the problem of developing and strengthening the legal awareness of modern young people, including university students, this issue has not been sufficiently studied. Meanwhile, subjective misinterpretation of the concepts of law and justice, a low level of legal culture and legal nihilism can be the causes of youth offences, as well as the factors, which distort the worldview under formation.

The present publication is aimed to investigate the role of ideas about the law and justice in the structure of legal awareness of students of higher education institutions.

Methodology and research methods. In the course of the empirical research, the following psychodiagnostic methods were employed: the questionnaire created on the basis of L. A. Yasyukova’s and the procedures of free associations. To process the obtained data, the content analysis and the methods of mathematic statistics, the criterion φ* (Fisher’s angular transformation) and the Kolmogorov-Smirnov criterion λ were used.

Results and scientific novelty. Theoretical approaches to the problem under discussion have been analysed, according to which legal awareness is determined by the conditions of society. Instability of these conditions generates a “paradoxical personality” (M. I. Yenikeev), who accepts and rejects social norms. It is noted that the Russian legal culture is negatively affected by such factors as the dissonance between legal ideology and legal psychology, weakness of civil society institutions, deep financial and economic crisis, etc.

The conducted survey manifested that the specifics of vocational education programme do not have a significant impact on the development of student perceptions of law and justice. The peculiarities of this component of legal awareness of students are revealed. The participants of the survey were convinced that the law should be fair; otherwise, it is not necessary to obey the law. The survey revealed that recognising the priority of legislation over conscience in administrative matters, the respondents believed that only just professionals should be at the head of state, regardless of their moral qualities. According to the respondents, orientation on honor and justice should be the basis of order in the society, but the participants noted the ambiguity of these concepts. On the one hand, students understand justice from the position of social balance (everyone receives what they deserve), on the other hand, they are convinced that social justice is ensured by equality. Young people are interested in the dynamics of the current legislation and believe that everyone should have basic legal knowledge, and ignorance of the law does not exempt a person from this responsibility. The respondents are sure that the law is the same for everyone and is enforceable equally by everyone; moreover, the law is designed to protect the interests of a particular person, not society as a whole. The majority of respondents generated the estimation that the ability to defend own rights is more significant than the performance of duties. The authors of the present research draw a generalised conclusion that university students’ perceptions of law and justice are inconsistent and contradictory.

Practical significance. The research results can be used by teachers and psychologists of higher educational institutions, as well as by various experts to develop the programmes for formation of youth legal awareness.

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