Vol 10, No 4 (2021)

In 2021, the Samara State Social and Pedagogical University (SGSPU) turned 110 years old. On October 16, 1911, the Samara Teachers' Institute was solemnly opened. Since that time, higher pedagogical education in the Samara region has been counting down.

The paper considers the distribution and elements of breeding bio-characteristics and abundance of the Kentish plover (Charadrius alexandrinus L.) on the basis of literary and the authors’ materials. The necessity of the species state revision is connected with the all-round decrease of its number and its inclusion in the last edition of the Red List of Threatened Animals and Plants of the Russian Federation. Optimal breeding habitats of the Kentish plover are located in a very limited area on the coasts of the steppe lakes of the Ulug-Khem and the Ubsu-Nur basins. The Kentish plover nests regularly in Tuva but its numbers are subject to considerable fluctuations depending mainly on hydrological conditions of the season. The total number of plovers within the studied area does not exceed 40–50 pairs. The Kentish plover is more numerous and occurs more widely on migration. The main features of nesting bio-characteristics are similar in other areal parts but late nesting dates were recorded. Some deviations in oological characteristics were also fixed (totally 29 eggs from 9 egg clutches were described). Anthropogenic factors such as cattle grazing along the coasts as well as intensive recreational impact have a great influence on the condition of the local nesting population of the Kentish plover. The authors recommend including the Kentish plover species in the Red List of Threatened Animals and Plants of Tuva Republic due to their low numbers during their nesting and its extreme stenotopicity.

On the territory of the Republic of Bashkortostan the main regularities of landscape differentiation are manifested – latitudinal zoning, altitudinal zoning and the barrier effect, which determine the territorial differentiation of the vegetation cover. The existing schemes of botanical-geographical and geobotanical zoning reflect these patterns. The largest zoning units are zonal structures (forest, forest-steppe and steppe regions), within which, on the basis of geological and geomorphological features, smaller taxonomic units are distinguished – provinces, areas, districts. The zoning method proposed by S.M. Razumovsky which is based on the concept of a succession system is of interest. According to this concept, the vegetation cover of the Earth is divided between succession systems. The boundaries of successional systems are outlined by the boundaries of the geographical areas of key species – edificators of indigenous forest phytocenoses. S.M. Razumovsky presented a scheme of botanical-geographical zoning, made on a small scale. The boundaries of succession systems, with the exception of some areas, are not delineated. The author set a goal: to determine a list of succession systems common on the territory of the Republic of Bashkortostan, to outline their boundaries and give their brief characteristics. As a result of literary sources study and analysis, the author has come to the conclusion that 4 succession systems are widespread on the territory of the Republic of Bashkortostan: 1) broad-leaved-dark coniferous forests with climax species of Siberian spruce, Siberian fir, pedunculate oak, heart-leaved linden and Norway maple; 2) dark coniferous forests, with climax species of Siberian spruce and Siberian fir; 3) broad-leaved forests with climax species of pedunculate oak, heart-leaved linden and Norway maple; 4) light coniferous forests with sub-climax species of Scots pine and Sukachev larch.

This paper presents the results of long-term observations of nesting of two species of warblers inhabiting territories with different degrees of urbanization – Sylvia curruca and Phylloscopus collybita. The research was carried out in the steppe and forest-steppe zone of the South Minusinsk basin. Both species are common and nest both in natural habitats and in the built-up part of the city. The lesser whitethroat arranges nests in the shrub layer only. The chiffchaff warbler has nests in a grassy tier in its natural habitats. The authors have revealed differences in the time of nesting in different altitudinal vegetation zones, as well as interspecific differences. The sizes of nests, clutches and eggs for different populations and in different years are determined. These parameters show variability, but no dependence on the environmental situation for them has been revealed. The survival rate of eggs and chicks and the overall efficiency of reproduction are evaluated. All the studied indicators of nesting biology, identified among the two species of warblers, are within the limits characteristic of the species. The differences revealed for populations located in natural and urbanized territories are manifested at the level of behavior of individuals (the nature of the nest location) and at the biocenotic level (the causes of the death of clutches). The authors have found no signs of isolation of «urban» populations.

Isotope mass spectrometry methods are used to study changes in the isotopic composition of organisms in the food chain called trophic fractionation. In particular, with the help of isotope analysis of tissues, it is possible to determine the type of nutrition and possible place of residence of a person, which helps in solving the tasks of forensic examination. In this study, the isotopic composition δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N in the hair of residents of the industrial city of Cherepovets and the Kirillovsky District of the Vologda Region, remote from industrial sources of pollution, was determined. The determination of the isotopic composition of hair was carried out on an isotope mass spectrometer Thermo-Finnigan Delta V Plus in the Ecological and Analytical Laboratory of Cherepovets State University. The average values of isotopes in the hair of the study participants are −20,86‰ (δ¹³C) and 9,98‰ (δ¹⁵N). There are differences in the ratio of carbon and nitrogen isotopes in the hair of residents of Cherepovets and Kirillovsky District. There are not statistically significant differences in the isotopic composition of δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N in the hair of female and male. There are differences of δ¹⁵N in the hair of people who consume different amounts of fish (people who consume fish more often have a higher ratio of δ¹⁵N).

The paper presents the results of a comprehensive comparative study of Rosa glauca Pourr and Rosa canina L. – rose hips used as rootstocks of garden roses – in a continental climate. A representative of the local flora Rosa majalis Herrm served as a model object for studying seasonal rhythmics, winter hardiness, as well as histochemical features. Based on studies of the objects ecological morphology, the nature of damage to aboveground shoot systems during wintering is described, the determining role of the minimum air temperature in assessing the adaptive potential of plants is noted. Differences in the seasonal dynamics of starch in the tissues of shoots of three species are most characteristic in the pre-winter period: as for R. glauca, the average amount of starch is observed in the perimedular zone while the low one is in single-row core rays. As for R. canina, a low amount of starch is observed in the perimedular zone and in single cells of single-row core rays. As for a representative of the local flora of R. majalis, almost complete starch hydrolysis occurs; it was recorded only in single cells of the perimedular zone. The paper also contains the results of joint research with the Nikitsky Botanical Garden, including X-ray examination of seeds and expedition studies to increase the collection gene pool of wild rose rootstocks.

The work is devoted to the long-term study of the species diversity and ecological features of the Voronezh reservoir algae. The algological study revealed 228 species of algae belonging to 7 divisions, 14 classes, 38 orders, 60 families and 99 genera. Most species belong to the departments Bacillariophyta (110 species), Chlorophyta (60) and Cyanophyta (34). It has been established that most of the algae of the water reservoir have unicellular and colonial types of organization, spherical, pear-shaped or filamentous structures of the thallom, there are flagellar stages in life cycles. The largest number of taxa belongs to the groups of β-mesosaprobionts (74), xenosaprobionts and oligo-β-mesosaprobionts (29). Planktonic algae are more common in the water reservoir (116), while benthic (62) and «periphytic» (50) are less common. The main factors contributing to the «blooming» of water in the Voronezh reservoir are shallow waters, discharge of untreated sewage and stormwater, elevated temperature. To solve this problem the following measures are proposed: a competent and systematic approach to reducing the pollution of the water reservoir, development of effective methods for regulating water quality, reducing the proportion of anthropogenic load on the reservoir, increasing the number of aquatic fauna, development of safe methods to improve the condition of the water area.

The technogenic failure caused by biological corrosion of pipelines and other oilfield equipment is an urgent problem for all oil-producing countries of the world. It has been established that many types of corrosion are initiated by the development of sulfate-reducing bacteria on the inner pipe surfaces. This paper presents the results of model laboratory experiments aimed at assessing the effect of the chemical composition of pipeline steel on the number and biochemical activity of sulfate-reducing bacteria development on its surface. Three chromium-containing corrosion-resistant steels were selected for the experiment, steel samples alloyed with 1% manganese were used as control samples. The bacteria for model experiments, mostly belonging to the genus Desulfovibrio, were taken from the inner surface of the damaged pipe after exploitation at an oil field in the Samara Region. In model experiments a reliable influence of the chemical composition of pipe steel on the quantitative characteristics and biochemical activity of bacteria developing on its surface was established. The biochemical activity of sulfate-reducing bacteria, determined by the stimulation of hydrogen sulfide formation and a change in dehydrogenase activity, significantly depended on the chromium content. An increase in the chromium concentration in the tested steel samples by up to 5% reduced the number of sulfate-reducing bacteria and their biochemical activity. The experiments allow us only to make a conclusion about the influence of the chemical composition of pipe steels on the number and biochemical activity of sulfate-reducing bacteria, but do not reveal its resistance to bacterial corrosion.

The paper examines features of heavy metals and metalloids accumulation by decorative flower crops on the example of the generic complex Paeonia L. in the urbanized environment of Ufa. The objects of the research are four species (P. peregrina Mill., P. lactiflora Pall., P. lactiflora f. rosea, P. delavayi Franch.) (Family Paeoniaceae Rudolphi) and three varieties of hybrid paeony (‘Appassionata’, ‘Mustai Karim’, ‘Jeanne d'Arc’). The study of the elemental composition of the aboveground and underground parts was carried out according to the method «Determination of As, Pb, Cd, Sn, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn and Ni in samples of food raw materials by atomic absorption method with electrothermal atomization». Mathematical data processing was carried out using generally accepted methods of variation statistics using the AgCStat software package in the form of an Excel add-in. It was revealed that in the studied samples the copper content is 4,15–2520,00 times higher, and the cadmium content is 0,43–2520,0 times lower than that of other elements. The minimum concentrations of arsenic, chromium, manganese and iron were noted in the roots; lead, cadmium and copper – in the leaves; nickel – in the flowers of the studied paeonies. The maximum content of arsenic and chromium was found in the leaves; lead, nickel, manganese and iron – in stems; cadmium and copper – in flowers. The results of the correlation analysis showed that the absolute values of the concentrations of the studied elements in the considered taxon of paeonies correlate with each other to a moderate and strong degree.

Environmental management and planning of the urban environment, the inclusion of natural landscapes in it is becoming increasingly important today. The paper discusses the latest researches in printed Russian and foreign publications that study the impact of roads and roadside landscaping on the quality of the urban environment and the life of citizens. The dependence of the influence of urban greening on temperature, runoff, heat flows, carbon dioxide, the content of solid particles and gas pollution is shown. The analysis of studies in which environmental recommendations are given to reduce these impacts is carried out. Roads as a dangerous object of urbanized environment should be surrounded by a buffer green zone. The importance of studying the location of the main streets and identifying landscaping around them in urban centers is indicated. The paper contains an assessment of the environmental parameters of roadside zones, depending on the level of their landscaping and the remoteness of residential development from the roadway, in large cities of the Orenburg Region. General and specific recommendations on environmental optimization of spaces have been compiled, allowing to reduce the environmental burden on the roadside environment through effective planning of green infrastructure, which will provide a basis for improving the health of the population and their quality of life.

The paper presents information about the nesting and abundance of the osprey on the territory of the Sayano-Shushensky State Nature Biosphere Reserve and its conservation zone. During the analysis of the materials it was found that before the formation of the Sayano-Shushenskaya Hydroelectric Power Station reservoir 3–4 pairs of ospreys nested on the banks of the Yenisei, in 1988 the number was 7–8 pairs, in 1994 7 residential nests were registered. Since 2012 observations have been resumed. In the period 2012–2018 it was found that the osprey lives on 9 breeding sites located on the territory of the reserve and in its protected area. In 2019 during the survey of the bays of the reservoir 12 nests with different status were mapped. The 2020 survey showed that there are 11 active nests (nests in which breeding takes place). Despite a decrease in the number of active nests and an increase in the proportion of unemployed the number of ospreys remains stable and amounts to 12 pairs. The fact that the number of birds is greater than the number of residential nests is explained by the fact that birds have not started nesting and are not associated with known nests, or not all nesting sites have been found. During the 2021 field season 2 new osprey nests were found within the reserve. In addition to accounting for adult birds, work was carried out during 2019–2021 to determine the number of chicks in the nests. A comparison of the results by year showed that in 2020, despite a decrease in the share of residential nests, there are more chicks compared to 2019. In 2021 the largest number of chicks was recorded for three years of observations. In order to improve the condition of the group living in the Sayano-Shushensky State Nature Biosphere Reserve, it is necessary to minimize the presence of humans near the bays in which the nests are located. This will allow the birds to safely form pairs and breed.

The work is devoted to the study of the species structure and pharmaceutical features of forest communities fungi in the Voronezh Region. The mycological study revealed 171 species of fungi belonging to 2 divisions of Ascomycota and Basidiomycota, 7 classes, 19 orders, 58 families and 106 genera. Most of the species belong to the orders Agaricales (81 taxa), Russulales (23), Polyporales (21) and Boletales (19). Among the identified taxa of medicinal fungi, saprotrophs (85) and symbiotrophs (53) predominate. The overwhelming number of mushroom species belongs to edible (92) and inedible (51) categories. 108 representatives of the mycobiota of the Voronezh Region can be used for the treatment of oncological diseases, 89 – for the production of substances with antibacterial activity. To a lesser extent, fungi have antiviral activity (49), immunostimulating properties (36), anti-inflammatory action (28), antioxidant activity (22). Fruit bodies (158 taxa) and mycelium (22) are most often used as a source of release of useful substances. The identified species of fungi contain 23 types of toxins that lead to diseases of various etiologies, among which α-amanitin, grismalin, ibo-tenic acid, cordinarin, muscarin, muscimol and phalloidin dominate (in 3 representatives).

The paper presents materials from settlements with graves. It offers a brief overview of the history of «living space for the dead» ritual model development. On the basis of ten settlements, belonging to different time periods, groups of burials were identified according to their status in the synchrony and diachrony. The cause of the occurrence of burials in settlements is postulated as determined by the mundane and sacred conditions in the society. The early establishment of this ritual model is attributed to the Stone Age. The sacred character, natural and cultural environment, topographic dependency of the model preserved in the burial traditions of early and late nomads in the Eurasian Steppe. The cult character and topographical dependence of the model were preserved in the funerary traditions of the early and late nomads. The ancient style of the living space combination with burials exists as tribal burial complexes in the area of nomadic seasonal winter settlements of the Modern Time («ethnographic modernity»).

The Novo-Ufimskii burial ground is one of the largest sites of the Southern Urals, located in the southern part of Ufa, in territorial terms, correlated with the Kara-Abyz culture of the Early Iron Age. Located in the historical part of the city of Ufa, the Novo-Ufimskii burial ground was allocated by R.B. Akhmerov on the territory of the construction of Bashkir State University buildings in 1952-1956. The site of the Novo-Ufimskii burial ground has repeatedly been subjected to destructive anthropogenic impacts since the second half of the 19th century, from the period of active development in the southern part of Ufa. However, a systematic investigation of the territory of the site with the involvement of a wide range of natural science methods has not been carried out. Earlier archaeological studies of the Novo-Ufa burial ground were most often associated with the part of the monument destroyed by construction. Some of the burials discovered during the reconstruction of the «Dynamo» stadium were investigated. The archaeological research carried out in 2018 set the task of widespread use of interdisciplinary, natural-scientific methods on the materials of 22 burials of the Novo-Ufimskii burial ground. During archaeological work in 2018, a feature was recorded in the burial tradition of the population who left the burial ground. Two-tiered burials were identified. The main focus of the study was bronze and paleosoil items from the Novo-Ufimskii burial ground.

This paper presents an attempt to analyze the relationship between social Darwinism ideology and American literature at the turn of the 19–20^th centuries. According to philologists, critical realism was customary of that period in literature. The famous authors nowadays such as Theodore Dreiser and Jack London or less well-known, for example, Edward Bellamy and Robert Herrick, presented their plots against the same intellectual background and described them using similar expressions and clichés. Such expressions as «struggle for existence», «natural selection», «survival of the fittest» became the usual ones in American public life at the turn of the 19–20^th centuries. Social Darwinism rhetoric united the worlds of politics, science and literature. The language determines our ideas about what can be right or wrong, fair and unfair. Ideology and the language played a fundamental role in shaping behavior in the context of the «American dream» especially. The «American dream» contained an idea of equality of opportunities for individuals, provided that they have talent and diligence. The author analyzes the language used in American literature and the influence of social Darwinism ideology on public consciousness. This discourse reveals the essence of social problems and attitudes of the American society in that historical period.

This work aims to study the history of one of the most important branches of animal husbandry of the pre-war period – horse breeding. The processes taking place in horse breeding largely influenced the results of the development of the entire national economy of the country in the 20–30s of the 20th century and the Ural economic region in particular. Normalization of the situation in horse breeding in the late 30s increased the country’s military and economic capabilities in 1941–1945. After the end of the Civil War in the USSR the total number of horses by 1923 fell by almost 2 times compared to the level of livestock available in the Russian Empire before the outbreak of the First World War. On some territories of the Urals these indicators fell to a larger size. The economic security of the state was put at risk, since horse-drawn transport in the early 20s had virtually no alternative dominance in the country’s economy. Thanks to the measures taken, by 1929 the number of animals managed to return to the pre-revolutionary level – up to almost 35 million heads. But the processes of industrialization and collectivization that began, which changed the structure of both the country’s agriculture and the entire economy as a whole, contributed to a sharp displacement of horsepower and a reduction in livestock. If in 1929 the agricultural sector of the USSR was horse-drawn by 96,2% of the energy capacity, by the end of the 30s this figure did not exceed 23%. Therefore, the number of horses from 1930 to 1935 fell from 34,5 million heads to a little more than 14 million. Nevertheless, the leadership of the Soviet Union, realizing the ruinousness of such a policy, took a number of effective measures that allowed during 1935–1940 to stop the decline in the number of animals and achieve a significant increase in the number of livestock, which by the beginning of 1941 reached 21 million heads. These processes were also characteristic of the regions of the Urals, which during the Great Patriotic War became the most important source of horses for the Red Army and the national economy.

The paper analyzes the processes that took place in the emigrant religious groups of Baptists in western, northeastern and northern China in the second half of the 1940s. The authors note that the problems of the history of the existence and activities of the Baptists who emigrated to the West (in 1944–1949 – the East Turkestan Republic), North-East and North China from the territory of Soviet Russia, the Far East of the USSR has not become the subject of a serious scientific analysis yet. There are not many scientific publications on the topic. This predetermined that the basis of the study was made up of archival sources. These are documents, documents of the State Archives of the Russian Federation (SA RF). It is noted that until the considered time the Baptist communities on the considered territories lived in isolation. The impetus for a change in the situation was the creation of the All-Union Council of Evangelical Christians-Baptists (AUCECB) in the USSR. This led to the stirring up of Baptist believers in the west, north and northeast of China. Some of the communities joined the AUCECB, some established contacts with it. There was correspondence with relatives and friends in the Soviet Union. There is a clear need for further study of the history of the emigrant Baptist communities in China.

Since the late 1920s in the USSR, along with many countries, there has been an interest in studying the phenomenon of bacteriophagy and its use in medicine. Bacteriophages are called bacterial viruses. Significant work on the study of bacteriophages and their use for medical purposes was carried out by Soviet microbiologists Zinaida Vissarionovna Ermolyeva and Lidiya Mikhailovna Yakobson. They paid especially great attention to the study of cholera bacteriophage, which during the Great Patriotic War helped prevent the cholera epidemic in frontline Stalingrad. In the 1940s due to the advent of the era of antibiotics with a wider range of applications, research interest in bacteriophages was waning. Nevertheless, in the prevention and treatment of a number of infectious diseases of bacterial origin, phage continued to be used in the following decades. In 1967, one of the country’s largest microbiologists sent an appeal to the Chief Sanitary Doctor of the USSR with a proposal to stop or reduce the production of cholera bacteriophage in the country. In this regard, a scientific discussion in which Z.V. Ermolyeva and L.M. Yakobson played an important role unfolded. Using the materials of the State Archive of the Russian Federation and the Russian State Archive of Economics, involving published scientific works on microbiology and medicine, an attempt is made to analyze this scientific discussion and establish its significance in the fate of the production of cholera bacteriophage in the USSR.

The paper examines spiritual and moral education of believers in the Kuibyshev Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church in 1965–1990 as one of the key areas of the episcopal activity of metropolitan Ioann (Snychev). The author studied such sources as reports of the authorized agent Council for Religious Affairs in the Kuibyshev Region, diary entries of metropolitan Ioann (Snychev) and people close to him, as well as the memories of believers. Metropolitan Ioann (Snychev) was not initially a talented preacher, but thanks to his studies and constant practice he was able to achieve success. The main tools of spiritual and moral education were sermons during worship services and personal communication with believers. In the conditions of preaching activity control by the office of the authorized agent for Religious Affairs, the bishop was forced to focus on moral issues. But despite the restrictions, metropolitan Ioann (Snychev) managed to conduct an active preaching activity. In private communication with believers, metropolitan Ioann (Snychev) unobtrusively taught Christian virtues. Metropolitan Ioann’s (Snychev) high moral qualities helped him to gain love and respect of the believers. The result of the spiritual and moral education of believers by the bishop was the growth of his authority and the constant influx of parishioners to the Church.

The paper deals with the phenomenon of the Samara banner as a cultural code. It is emphasized that the period of the second half of the 19^th – early 20^th centuries is increasingly considered by researchers as a source of elements transmitted and perceived as modern cultural codes. Epistemological, psychological, sociological and information-communication approaches to understanding cultural codes are presented, with the help of which ideas about the unity, cohesion of society are formed and the social uncertainty of modernity is reduced. The period of the Russian-Turkish war is characterized as a period of the cultural code formation associated with the activation of national self-identification, growth of patriotism, formation of civil consciousness and civil society. The process of formation and consolidation of the cultural code inherent in the modern inhabitant of the Samara province, which was influenced by notable socio-political, cultural and religious events of both the past and the present, is analyzed. Dynamics is noted in assessing the role of the Samara Banner phenomenon for various periods of Russian history. The authors give an example of systemic involvement of the younger generation of the Samara Region residents in the history of their native land, through acquaintance with the history of the Samara banner, presented in the textbooks «Stories on the history of the Samara Region» and «History of the Samara Region».

The paper analyzes the remnants of the sheep (ram) cult among the Bashkirs, which was one of the revered animals in their religious and mystical views. The consecration of the sheep (ram) by the ancient Bashkirs is based on the remnants of the totemic way of primitive people thinking about the identity, unity and blood relationship of man and the sheep (ram). Their vestiges are manifested in fairytale folklore, folk games, tribal ethnonymy and anthroponyms of the Bashkirs. The existence in the oral stories of the Bashkirs of a character – a king with ram’s horns – shows that the ancient Bashkirs revered as their first ancestor a mythical creature in the guise of a half-man-half-ram. In the role of the totemic ancestor the sheep (ram) in Bashkir folk art and beliefs acts as a patron, guide, savior, benefactor and healer of people, a guardian of life, a soothsayer and predeterminer of their destinies, an escort of the souls of the dead to paradise, symbolizes fertility, prosperity, prosperity and happiness. In some elements of the traditional Bashkir wedding and the sacrifice of a ram, a superstitious attitude towards the skull and links of the cervical vertebra of a sheep (ram), traces of the ancient holidays of the sheep (ram) with rituals of totemic taboo, collective communion with meat and blood, magical resurrection and reproduction of a totem animal are visible. In Bashkir legends, riddles and vocabulary, the evolutionary paths of ideas about the totemic ancestor of the sheep (ram) are traced, as well as the formation on their basis of views about sheep (rams) – supernatural divine beings, personifications of stars, attributes and companions of the gods.

The paper examines the features of the society development in the Russian State interacting with the teaching civil identity feelings to the young generation. Researchers pay special attention to the issue of methods and ways of educating the young generation in modern conditions of society development, working out the possible results of mastering new tasks and courses set for teachers. The pedagogical tasks for teaching history and social studies have been determined: fostering a sense of civil identity among schoolchildren, studying traditions, cultures and values of the peoples of the Russian State; unification of the Russian society and interaction for the favorable development of the country in the future; private principles of upbringing schoolchildren are considered to achieve a wider level of patriotic feelings of schoolchildren. The problem of civil position, responsibility, social culture and socialization formation is considered as one of the main ones. In the course of studying theoretical material of both Russian and Soviet teachers, the basic principles of civil identity formation were revealed. A set of methods is formed on the basis of the principles of self-actualization, personalization and indivisibility of the processes of education and training. The analysis of theoretical and methodological literature showed a significant variety of pedagogical methods, techniques and technologies.

Modern humanity lives in the era of the third millennium, in a period of a huge number of global environmental problems. The majority of environmental scientists attribute the low level of ecological culture of the individual and society as a whole to the main cause of the global environmental crisis. Currently, environmental security has become a dominant element of the national security doctrine. The term «ecological culture» itself considers an individual to be a subject of public relations and relations, introduces it into various types of activity interaction between society and nature, due to certain reasons that are associated with technology, exchange and consumption, with the attitude to property, as well as with certain norms, rules, laws, services, codes, etc. Analyzing the works of scientists and the experience of interaction between the environment and society, ecological culture includes a great potential, is the guiding force of the scientific and technological revolution. It is the teacher who plays a central function in the development of the ecological culture of youth. During the training sessions and during extracurricular hours, teachers should form a complex of scientific knowledge, worldviews, and ideas among students that the global environmental crisis, which may soon turn into an environmental catastrophe, poses a huge danger to all mankind. These phenomena can be prevented only with the help of targeted environmental protection activities. Environmental protection activities include a set of environmental knowledge, skills and abilities that students can master in the process of special education and training in an educational institution (school, vocational school, university). It is necessary to have a reliable level of elementary ecological concepts from an early age, and this suggests that the teacher must be sufficiently competent in this matter. He or she must have the skills to apply theoretical knowledge in practice and develop this skill among students. But as practice shows, in most cases, teachers themselves are not yet ready to implement this function. This is manifested in the fact that they do not have enough skills to adequately assess the state of the modern natural environment, to carry out environmental protection activities. This paper substantiates the effectiveness of the desmoecological approach aimed at ecological culture formation among pedagogical university students. The authors defined the content of the conceptual and terminological composition of the pedagogical categories «ecological culture» and «desmoecological approach», developed a model of the integrative course «Ecological culture of the future teacher».

The study addresses peculiarities of superstitiousness and paranormal beliefs of students majoring in Arts (creative type of professions) and its role in their professional development. Superstitiousness is a rather wide-spread phenomenon among different professional groups. Besides there is scientific evidence that students are a socio-demographic group with high level of superstitiousness. There exist two general points of view on superstitiousness as a psychological phenomenon: negative and coping. Creative activity in general and creative professions in particular are characterized by high uncertainty and unpredictability of its outcomes, therefore it was logic to suppose that future creative professionals would be highly superstitious. Besides constant search for innovative solutions and Art itself focuses on irrational aspects of being. Empiric study however showed average and low level of superstitiousness among Arts students, but significant correlations between superstitiousness, paranormal beliefs and personality traits. Differences between various creative professions were also found. The findings may be used for the future studies and applied in the educational practice.

The paper deals with a pilot study that has been conducted by the author. It is a part of the study of the peculiarities of the civil-legal aspect of students’ environmental consciousness. Theoretical prerequisites for studying ecological consciousness, civil law foundations of social interaction and peculiarities of civil identity have been determined. The study has been conducted at Samara State University of Social Sciences and Education with a help of a sociological survey using online questionnaires and the functionality of Google Forms. 269 students from various fields of training have taken part in this survey. The results provided an opportunity to assess the starting positions of the study and draw some conclusions about respondents’ moods and assessments regarding questions of interest. In general, the results obtained indicate a negative assessment of the environmental situation in the country, as well as in the world, the actions of the State to preserve environmental balance are not sufficiently assessed. The individual activity of students aimed at maintaining an ecological lifestyle is characteristic of almost half of respondents, while the knowledge about the main international environmental agreements and the largest natural-scientific concepts of the environment is also not familiar to more than half of respondents. The obtained results made it possible to determine the further direction of research with the involvement of specialists in the field of sociology, social studies, ecology, pedagogy and psychology in solving the set tasks.

The paper examines the stages of society informatization (automation, informatization and digitalization) in historical retrospect and their impact on education. It also defines changes in the activity of a teacher in a digital society and education digitalization: specifics of the teacher’s activity in a digital society due to changes in the object (virtual learner), subject (digitized data, digital traces of the student’s educational activities) and tools of activity (digital technologies and platforms, video conferencing, information processing technologies); the peculiarity of the teacher’s activity due to the teacher’s remote interaction with students (online and offline communication); difficulties and problems of the teacher’s communication interaction with students. The theoretical conclusions are supported by the results of a pilot study in which teachers of educational institutions of higher and secondary vocational education participated. The empirical data obtained revealed difficulties affecting the quality of knowledge transfer in online and offline communications, problems of information flow management, as well as a tendency to reduce problems related to compliance with the rules of network ethics.

The paper analyzes organizational aspects of higher, further and vocational training implementation using a network form of interaction. The authors have revealed conditions for professional training of employees who were first hired based on the results of questionnaires of employees working at educational organizations of the Federal Penitentiary Service, as well as interviews of employees working at professional and service training departments of the territorial bodies of the penitentiary service system. The analysis of the identified problems showed that at the current stage of network interaction there are two groups of problems: the first group (organizational problems) is the inclusion in the resources of the participating organization of the personnel potential of those responsible for training employees of penitentiary service institutions; the second group (methodical) is the effective use of methods and technologies for organizing synchronous and asynchronous training of young employees who are in the field of prospective professional activity. In the process of summarizing ways to solve the identified problems, the authors have formulated optimal techniques for conducting professional training of employees recruited into the penitentiary system using an online form of educational process; common approaches to organizing work on the use of various forms of students’ educational activities, current norms for calculating teachers’ work during lectures and seminars, during current, intermediate and final control, and when they develop educational materials.