| In 1992, the Republic of Latvia changed the language of instruction in public institutions of higher education from a mix of Latvian and Russian to Latvian only. During the next decade, the proportion of a given age cohort attending higher education more than doubled, and a new private sector emerged. Additionally, Latvia's political and economic system became increasingly integrated in a globalizing world economy. Economic ties switched from dependence on Moscow-based industries during the Soviet period, to increasing trade and economic links with the West, as evidenced by Latvia's joining the European Union in 2004. This dissertation examines the impact of these changes on the formation of the next generation's educated elite in the country's two main ethnic groups, Latvians and Russians.; This study investigates the relationship between ethnicity, higher education enrollment patterns, and language through the analysis of a survey administered to 2,500 first- and second-year students in 2002-03. The analyses use binomial and multinomial logistic regression to measure the effects of the language of instruction of secondary school and various background characteristics on the likelihood of a student attending a public or private institution, a program with Latvian as the language of instruction, or holding a state scholarship to attend a university. A separate set of analyses addresses whether Latvian- and Russia-speakers have different expectations regarding language future use.; The findings indicate that within group social differences may be more significant among Russian-speakers. Additionally, students in the private sector are divided by language, with Latvian-speakers more likely to attend programs with Latvian-language instruction and vice versa. Finally, Russian-speakers were more likely than Latvian-speakers to anticipate using English in work after graduation, and believe that English will be the most important language in the Latvian labor market after ten years. While Latvian-speaking students conform to the government's language policies encouraging the use of Latvian in education and the labor market, Russian-speakers express a greater willingness to use English in their future careers. Although the two ethnic groups differ in their use and knowledge of Latvian, different attitudes towards and use of English may become more significant in the future. |
