Computer analysis of biographies to study family influence on the educational way of a person

Sociological Institute of the Federal Center of Theoretical and Applied Sociology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 190005 Saint Petersburg, Russia

^* Corresponding author: eder57@yandex.ru

Abstract

The article presents the results of a computer analysis of biographical materials on the educational way of a person. In this sociological study, a collection of autobiographical essays of students of higher educational institutions was carried out. The received texts were processed using the Russian computer program Discant. Structuring, classification and digital codification of the content of biographical texts were used. As a result of the computer analysis, family factors that influence the development and implementation of the educational route of children were identified and described in detail. The sociological study resulted in a rating of effective ways of family support for children’s education. It has been established that the most effective family factors for ensuring the educational way of children are the education of parents, the values of education and culture in the family, the parents’ search for strong educational institutions and their willingness to invest in children’s education. The findings indicate the need for individualization of modern educational routes and social support for families with children of school and preschool age. The methodological perspective of the project is to develop new methods for computer analysis of large amounts of biographical data.