Higher education within the educational strategies of young people

the article presents the author's understanding of the educational strategies implemented by modern youth through the system of higher professional education. This understanding is based on a theoretical analysis and the conclusions supported by empirical research data. The paper attempts to identify motivation of young people to pursue higher education: what specifically motivates them to enter university for the first time – the desire to acquire knowledge or obtain a diploma. The theoretical basis of the study includes structural and functional sociological framework which reveals explicit and implicit functions of social institutions and structures; as well as the theory of educational and professional pathways by G.A. Cherednychenko which explains the implementation of young people's life plans through the continuity of educational institutions and further job search. The empirical analysis is based on the information derived from a survey conducted by the laboratory of social studies of Petrozavodsk State University (PetrSU). The survey was carried out among Karelian high school students and students of PetrSU in 2012-2013 in the form of a questionnaire. It aimed to find out professional education aspirations of students. The two main functions of universities are transfer of knowledge and competencies and educational status recognition (diploma issuing). They form the basis for two educational strategies: professional- and status-oriented. Through the frequency estimation and factor analysis the results of the questionnaires were analyzed and compared to the revealed strategies. Factor analysis of the reasons for choosing basic components of educational strategy, such as a particular educational pathway, a level of professional education, and a school, has provided a better understanding of the deep motivation and the reasons behind those choices. As the result, the author identifies two lines for the development of educational strategies: orientation line (professional-oriented or education status-oriented) and implementation line (active or indifferent attitude). The findings can become the basis for the classification of educational strategies.