THE HARMONY OF LANGUAGE AND EDUCATION: WAYS TO FORM NATIONAL CONSCIOUSNESS IN STUDENTS (IN RUSSIAN GRADES 7-8)

This article investigates the pedagogical and linguistic foundations for forming national consciousness among students in grades 7–8 of Russian general education schools. The study explores the interrelation between language education and civic-identity development, emphasizing the role of linguistic-cultural integration in shaping students’ values, historical awareness, and cultural belonging. The research employs a theoretical-analytical methodology based on comparative pedagogy, sociolinguistics, and educational psychology. The findings suggest that language education, when integrated with culturally oriented content and value-based instruction, significantly contributes to the development of national consciousness. The article proposes methodological approaches including text-based cultural analysis, communicative tasks, interdisciplinary integration, and project-based learning. The results demonstrate that harmonizing language instruction with national-cultural values enhances students’ identity formation and civic responsibility.