Historical memory, regional identity, and motivation to study local history: An empirical study

Introduction. The main problem is that there are limited studies on the relationship between personal-emotional and institutional factors determining motivation to study local history among non-humanities undergraduates. The aim of the research is to identify the structure of historical perceptions, sources of knowledge, and motivational factors determining interest in the local history and the specifics of regional identity. Materials and Methods. An anonymous online survey was conducted on the Yandex Forms platform (October 2025 — March 2026). A total of 268 first- and second-year students of Omsk State Agrarian University who identified Omsk as their hometown participated. Descriptive statistics, Spearman’s rank correlation analysis, and content analysis were applied. Results. 72.9% of respondents would like to expand their knowledge of the city’s history, whereas only 11.8% of the participants demonstrate sustained personal interest. The main sources of information include family (54.1%) and university classes (51.2%). The most recognizable events include building the Omsk Fortress (85.1%) and the evacuation of industrial enterprises during the Great Patriotic War (70.3%); among historical figures, F.M. Dostoevsky (80.3%) and A.V. Kolchak (70.1%) lead. The main symbol is the Omsk Fortress (60.1%). Correlation analysis revealed strong positive relationships between the desire to deepen knowledge and personal interest (ρ=0.65, p<0.01), as well as a sense of personal involvement (ρ=0.58, p<0.01). The assessment of the educational environment correlates with interest (ρ=0.52, p<0.01), but the correlation with motivation to learn is significantly weaker (ρ=0.25, p<0.05). Conclusions. Personal-emotional factors play a leading role in motivation, while institutional factors play a supporting role. The phenomenon of ‘latent motivation’ was revealed: students declare readiness to learn new things but do not show initiative. Practical steps are proposed to restructure local history teaching towards personalisation, emotional engagement, and project-research formats.