The Peculiarities of Senior PreschoolChildren’s Representations of Family in Russian and Khakass Ethnic Groups

Abstract

This article presents the results of a study on Khakass and Russian preschool children’s representations of family and family relations in the Republic of Khakassia. The data obtained reflect modern children's specific perception of a family as their micro-environment. The article demonstrates the differences in preschoolers' representations based on their ethno-cultural family affiliation. The research proved the high importance of traditional family arrangement and the value of family. The results identified that the Khakass children have the idea of the indispensable link between the young and old generations involving large relations within the extended family, while Russian children expressed the idea of a predominantly scaled down and closed nature of relations within family.