Educational route of orphans from kinship guardianship families: Social and psychological aspects

Abstract

The article discusses the specifics of the educational route of orphans and children without parental care brought up by kinship guardians. The relevance of the reported study is due to the need to implement the requirements of Article 6 Additional Guarantees of the Right to Education of the Federal Law dated 21 December 1996 No. 159-FZ (revised 4 August 2023) On Additional Guarantees for the Social Support of Orphans and Children Without Parental Care. Another reason is the requirement to solve the issues of the protection of children without parental care indicated in the plan of action as part of the Decade of Childhood for the period up to 2027. The study aims to identify social and psychological factors that determine educational routes for orphans from kinship guardianship families. To achieve this goal, a structured interview and methods of E. Y. Korzhova were used. Among them are Psychological Autobiography; Questionnaire of Life Orientations; and Attitude to a Significant Life Situation. The study involved 30 orphans aged 18–23 years. The sample showed the predominance of ineffective educational routes. The article describes social and psychological reasons for effective and ineffective educational routes. The evidence is based on the analysis of specific cases from the practice of psychological and pedagogical support of guardianship families. The strategy of designing an educational route for orphans from kinship guardianship families is influenced by the educational uncertainty of the guardians, their experiences of family situations and situations of interpersonal communication, low life satisfaction, difficulties in focusing on personal growth. Based on the obtained data, the study produced a model of comprehensive psychological and pedagogical support of kinship guardianship families during and after the period of guardianship. The methodological basis of the proposed model includes a situational and a systemic functional approach. Designing effective educational routes for orphans requires the participation of all the stakeholders in education.