Influence of sociocultural situation on self-education of residents of Kalevala region during the pandemic

The article discusses the problem of changing the level of self-education of the population under the influence of pandemic restrictions in the current sociocultural situation. The problem is studied on the basis of data obtained during a comprehensive scientific expedition of the Humanitarian Innovation Park of Petrozavodsk State University to the Kalevala National Region in June of 2021 as part of the project “Ways to Preserve Human Capital as an Urgent Problem of the Republic of Karelia”. The methodology comprises in-depth interviews, talks and questionnaires on the topic of self-education and self-development. The analysis of the modern sociocultural situation takes into account internal factors (social dynamics, economic model of development, and changes in the political regime and state structure), historical factors (specific national features of culture in the context of which the formation of current generations took place). The quantitative and qualitative analysis of the self-education level of the residents of the Kalevala Region showed a significant difference compared to other regions of Karelia and revealed a number of reasons for the changes. The study resulted in identifying the most important socio-cultural factor that influenced the increase in the self-education level of the Kalevala Region residents during the pandemic, as well as in drawing conclusions on the importance of self-education as a source of preservation and development of human capital.