?
English as Cultural Capital in Russia: Attitudes of Different Age Groups of Learners
The paper uses the concept of capital to assess the value of learning English in Russia for different age groups of learners, particularly, those in the age ranges between 8 and 9 years old (after a year of learning English), between 14 and 15 years old (after a year of learning the second foreign language apart from English), between 17 and 18 years old (in the last year of high school), be-tween 21-22 years old (in the last year of the bachelor degree programme). This work is a part of a bigger research-in-progress project, the ultimate objective of which is to analyse the “worth” of the English language for Russian learners of English. The study aims to answer the following research
question, what are significant differences between the attitudes and values of students of different ages. The data come from questionnaires distributed to 30 Russian students of English of different age groups. The results of the study show that younger learners of English tend to value the knowledge of English for irrational rea-sons, while older learners appreciate the pragmatic value of English in terms of increased opportunities for better education and a better-paid job.