Studying the Rural Areas Population in Secondary School
The peculiarity of socio-economic and demographic situation in Volgograd Oblast is the predominant number of rural schools in the educational structure of the region, which account for about 57% of the total number of institutions implementing general education programmes. However, due to the insufficient number of hours allocated for studying the section "Population", the model educational programme on geography does not plan a detailed study of the demographic situation in rural areas. In the light of the requirements of the current educational standards, it is obligatory for students to form the basics of a culture of research and project activities. The aim of the article is to identify the possibilities of studying the demographic processes of rural areas in project and research work at school and to determine the effectiveness of geographical methods in the development of students' research skills. Materials and methods. The source materials for writing the article and organizing research activities of schoolchildren were the data of official statistics - the results of the 2002 and 2010 censuses, information of Rosstat and the territorial body of the Federal State Statistics Service of the Volgograd Oblast. Three methodological techniques allow to implement the declared subject: settlement mapping, processing of statistical data, the method of comparison. Results and discussion. The urgency of the problem of studying the demographic processes of rural areas in the study of geography in secondary schools is substantiated. It shows the peculiarities of applying cartographic, statistical and comparative methods of research in the study of demographic problems of rural areas on the example of Kamyshinsky municipal district of Volgograd region. The influence of the use of geographical methods on the development of research skills of schoolchildren is revealed. Conclusion. The application of scientific methods specific to the study of demographic processes contributes to the development of students' research skills. The results obtained provide a basis for students to carry out project-research activities related to the study of demographic processes.