Pupils' experiences of school and family life: A comparison between Estonia and Russia

In spite of common regime under the Soviet Union, Russia and Estonia have different traditions and cultural backgrounds, which may influence the parents' upbringing of the children. Focus of this study is teenagers' perception of their upbringing and the perceived demands on them from adults as well as from peers. In total 1,040 pupils, ranging in age from 12 to 14, took part. Of these, 548 were from Estonia and 492 from Russia. The pupils answered a questionnaire including questions about interests, parents' demands, schoolwork and social relations with their families and with their peers. Factor analyses of data were made separately for the two countries as well as for the whole study and the pupils' answers in Estonia and Russia were compared, with country and sex as independent variables. Some of the results indicate cultural differences as well as differences in external living conditions.