Critical thinking and philosophical discussions in the admissions to the 10th grade: the case of RANEPA Lyceum under pandemic

Abstract

The article presents the analysis of the novel approach to theadmissions to the 10th grade by the Lyceum of the Russian Academy of National Economy and Public Administration under the President of the Russian Federation (RANEPA). The new approach was developed as a response to the COVID-related constraints, preventing the use of the earlier established non-distant admissions formats. The particular focus of this article are the oral interviews in Russian language, comprising the tailored tests on erudition, analytical and critical thinking skills, and the ability to handle open questions.Goal. The admissions case analysis to determine the best criteria and methods of selecting students from the pool of Lyceumapplicants.Methodology. The article is a case study, comprising the goalsetting, the practical solution, and the analysis of the results.Results. The article highlights the controversial and ambiguous circumstances of the admissions to selective schools andpresents the specific way to address them, open for furtherimprovements. The scientific novelty of the article consists of the uniqueness of the described case and the depth of its analysis.Practical importance. The results can be used in admissions tosimilarly specialised classes in high school.