Interethnic Relationships in Russian Schools: Comparison of Classes with Different Ethnic Composition

Interethnic relationships might play a crucial role in bridging social differences and reducing ethnic segregation, particularly in school settings. The effects of ethnicity on homophily, i.e., preference to befriend peers of the same ethnicity, in class may vary depending on its ethnic composition. Conflicting theories were developed in the discussion of this topic: while Allport’s contact theory suggests that increased interethnic contacts could decrease ethnic homophily, competition theory, conversely, assumes that it will lead to increased homophily. In Russia, studies on interethnic relationships in schools are limited and mainly focus on schools in St. Petersburg with low minority representation. The current research investigates interethnic relationships in schools of Novosibirsk and St. Petersburg with varying shares of ethnic minority members. Fitting Exponential Random Graph Modeling for 97 classroom communication networks, the study explores how class ethnic composition, measured by the share of ethnic minority students in it, relates to ethnic homophily of majority and minority students. Findings reveal that both ethnic minority and majority students exhibit a preference for forming connections with peers of the same ethnicity. Interestingly, while the share of ethnic minority students relates to ethnic minority homophily in a non-linear manner, no significant effect was observed for ethnic majority homophily. Such results contribute to understanding the complexities of interethnic interactions in schools and call for further research in this area.