Motivation of Participants of Student Labor Groups: A Comparative Historical Analysis (On the Materials of the Arkhangelsk Oblast)

Student labor groups are one of the few forms of social activity of young people, which, having emerged in Soviet times, not only managed to revive again, but also has a tendency of steady growth. The activities of the student groups attracted attention both in historical and social aspects. However, most of the authors addressed only a certain stage in the history of the SCB-RSG and very rarely tried to conduct a comparative analysis of the development of the student movement in the Soviet and modern periods. The works of historians and sociologists and published studies reflect different ideas about the motives of students’ participation in the third labor semester. Some authors believe that the motives have not changed, while others think that they are completely different for modern students. The results of the conducted research, based on interviews, questionnaires, and analysis of the memories of veterans of the movement, show that the motives of the participants have changed slightly, since they depend primarily on the psychological characteristics of youth as a social group. At the same time, the peculiarities of society and state development in different historical periods put an imprint on the priorities and life values of youth, which is reflected in the motivation for participation in the student labor groups.