Abstract

University Russian enrollments have been steadily declining in the United States since 2009 (MLA, 2023). No research has been done to examine student motivation for studying Russian since long before the 2022 increase in conflict between Russia and Ukraine. This study surveys two groups of students at the university level: students enrolled in BYU 101-level language classes, and students enrolled in Russian classes at six universities in the United States. The findings report that the most common reasons students choose to take university Russian classes is because they have a general interest in the language, they want to travel to Russian-speaking countries, they want to converse with people who speak Russian, and/or they have some previous Russian knowledge. Students who had once considered taking Russian classes but ultimately decided to study another language are typically simply more interested in the other language, and do not cite the Russo-Ukrainian War as a reason for their decision not to study Russian. Students already studying Russian report that the Russo-Ukrainian War is impacting their studies, especially in restriction of the travel opportunities. For some it serves as a motivating factor to continue studying Russian, and for others conflicting feelings about the war complicate their Russian studies. However, the vast majority of university students studying Russian plan to continue studying Russian in future semesters. Thus, while the Russo-Ukrainian War may be impacting students’ Russian studies, it does not appear to be contributing to the decrease in Russian enrollments nationwide.

Degree

College and Department

Humanities

Rights

https://lib.byu.edu/about/copyright/