The unified state examination in English: the perspective of Russian media
Smirnova, Valeriia (2021)
2021
Master's Programme in Teacher Education
Kasvatustieteiden ja kulttuurin tiedekunta - Faculty of Education and Culture
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Hyväksymispäivämäärä
2021-11-23
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202111178473
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202111178473
Tiivistelmä
The thesis analyzes Russian media discussions of the Unified State Exam (USE) in English as a mandatory test in the context of current Russian education policy. The analysis was informed by Entman’s framing theory (1993). Media frames are considered from four perspectives: problem definition, causal interpretation, moral evaluation, and treatment recommendation.
Drawing on the concept of policy mediatization, the study empirically documents the representation of the examination project in three Russian online media sources (Uchitelskaja gazeta, Moskovsky Komsomolets, and Rossiiskaja gazeta) in the context of the ongoing educational reform. The analysis covers the period 2007-2020 (from the first mentioning of the exam to the official withdrawal of the exam project), which is divided into three sub-periods: the early 2010s, the mid 2010s and the late 2010s. The thesis is based on the analysis of 50 articles: news reports, op-ed pieces, and texts by opinion authors and commentators.
The research task focused on identifying the main frames in which the examination was presented to the reader and the dynamics of these frames over the decade under consideration.
The analysis identifies two main media frames: the exam supporting frame and the exam opposing frame. Both frames include three sub-themes: education-related issues, socially-related issues, and national/global issues. The analysis documents the weakening of the “pro” frame and the strengthening of the “contra” frame. The persistence of the educational and the social sub-themes indicates the abundance of unsolved problems, and the growing nationalist connotations of the third sub-theme indicate a turn in the political thinking. The analysis helps understand the shifts in the education policy of the 2010s and the challenges faced by the educational reform in Russia.
Drawing on the concept of policy mediatization, the study empirically documents the representation of the examination project in three Russian online media sources (Uchitelskaja gazeta, Moskovsky Komsomolets, and Rossiiskaja gazeta) in the context of the ongoing educational reform. The analysis covers the period 2007-2020 (from the first mentioning of the exam to the official withdrawal of the exam project), which is divided into three sub-periods: the early 2010s, the mid 2010s and the late 2010s. The thesis is based on the analysis of 50 articles: news reports, op-ed pieces, and texts by opinion authors and commentators.
The research task focused on identifying the main frames in which the examination was presented to the reader and the dynamics of these frames over the decade under consideration.
The analysis identifies two main media frames: the exam supporting frame and the exam opposing frame. Both frames include three sub-themes: education-related issues, socially-related issues, and national/global issues. The analysis documents the weakening of the “pro” frame and the strengthening of the “contra” frame. The persistence of the educational and the social sub-themes indicates the abundance of unsolved problems, and the growing nationalist connotations of the third sub-theme indicate a turn in the political thinking. The analysis helps understand the shifts in the education policy of the 2010s and the challenges faced by the educational reform in Russia.