Issues of Extracurricular Education on the Pages of «the Russian School» Journal

In the second half of the XIX – early XX century extracurricular education was actively developing in Russia. It was aimed at educating the adult population and included organization of public libraries, public houses, public universities, Sunday schools and other cultural and educational institutions. Periodicals were one of the key ways to promote progressive ideas of the intelligentsia and people’s education. Among the large number of pedagogical journals of that period, “The Russian School” journal deserves special attention, articles on the problems of extracurricular education were regularly published on its pages. The purpose of the study is to study comprehensively the issues of “The Russian School” journal, stored in the funds of the scientific reference library of the State Historical Archive of the Chuvash Republic. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the fact that on the basis of a historical source, such as a periodical, the materials on the theory and practice of extracurricular education are characterized. Materials and methods. A significant source of research is the materials of the periodical press, namely the pedagogical journal “The Russian School”. The research used the method of content analysis, as well as synthesis, analogy, systematization and the principles of historicism, objectivity, consistency and concreteness. Study results. Based on the analysis of the content in various issues of the journal, one can see an active discussion of the role and importance of extracurricular education in the country’s socio-economic development, accentuating the key tasks of adult personal development and education, considering organizational and thematic aspects in the work of new extracurricular institutions. Special attention is paid to the reflections of various authors on extracurricular education on the pages of the journal, since they contributed to this process understanding by a wide range of the public. Conclusions. “The Russian School” journal is a good source, because, firstly, it contains specific factual material, and, secondly, it reflects the views of contemporaries on the problem of extracurricular education development. It also provides correspondence from the field on the state and development of extracurricular education, as well as it contains a variety of information, including theoretical articles, practical materials and statistical data.