'Science Does Not Permit Fakes and Cheating'

As a child, Konstantin Anchikov imagined becoming 'director of the office,' and now he is researching general and extracurricular education. In this interview with the HSE Young Scientists project, he speaks about his squabbles with ChatGPT, the educational trajectories observed in remote regions, and his field expeditions to Kamchatka and Transbaikalia.

How I Started in Science

I first applied for a bachelor's at HSE University in my home city of St. Petersburg, but it did not work out then, therefore I applied and enrolled in Herzen University. But I still wished I could go back to HSE University. I enjoy analytics and diving into information to search for data. I'm also interested in educational policies and how the system operates. When I learned that the Institute of Education at HSE Campus in Moscow offers a master's programme in evidence-based educational policy, everything fell into place. I enrolled and began working at the Pinsky Centre for General and Extracurricular Education, where I became deeply involved in the work.

The Subject of My Research

Our field is general and extracurricular education. Within this field, our primary focus is on educational policy and effective management.

Some of our work involves conducting research. We study inequality, inclusion, academic failure in schools, and strategies for working with both challenging and gifted students, with a special emphasis on pedagogical and managerial strategies in general and extracurricular education. The second area of our work involves analytics and educational consulting. In this area, the focus is more applied, involving federal monitoring, support for regional executive authorities, and designing programmes to assess the education system's performance.

The topic of my doctoral dissertation is…

...'A Sense of Belonging to the Local Community and the Life Trajectories of School Graduates in Territories with Complex Contexts.' I am researching the ecosystem-level interaction between schools and their local environments—specifically, how this interaction fosters a sense of belonging in students and whether it influences their life trajectories, particularly whether they will eventually leave their home community. Youth outflow is a common issue in remote areas such as Kamchatka, Transbaikalia, Yamal, and others. Young people typically leave for two main reasons: to pursue education and to seek employment. My hypothesis is that psychological factors, particularly a sense of rootlessness and the perception of their stay in a location as temporary, play a significant role in the decision to leave. I believe that if the school takes on a leadership role within the local community, some children may choose to stay and contribute to the development of their home district, city, or village. I gathered material for this topic during field expeditions to Kamchatka and Transbaikalia. Another expedition to Yamal is scheduled for September.

How Kamchatka Differs from Transbaikalia

Even from just these two expeditions, it is evident how varied regional experiences can be—the regional context and the role of the school within it; this highlights the need for a detailed study. Tourism is booming in Kamchatka. The residents of Kamchatka are quite mobile: the economy is growing, and there are programmes to support travel to the mainland. People can afford to travel and send their children to study in other regions.

Transbaikalia is much more isolated, with residents of remote areas rarely traveling even to the regional capital, Chita. Both the children and school representatives say they are content in their community and plan to stay. Because this is where they enjoy their home near a river, a quiet and peaceful environment, and their family. However, the main reason they don't consider moving is that they have hardly seen anything beyond their region. And those who choose to leave never come back.

My Greatest Source of Pride

What makes me proud is that all the products we have developed are clear, effective, and useful. They are made available to those who make policy decisions.

The Insidiousness of ChatGPT

Given all the hype around artificial intelligence, I decided to check out how it works. In response to my request for literature reviews, ChatGPT provided a list of excellent bibliographic references. The list included authors and journals I was already familiar with, while the paper titles looked perfect and seemed ready to be added to my reference list.

At first, I was thrilled by the prospect of AI significantly speeding up my work. But gradually, I began to have doubts. The list included a paper supposedly authored by a colleague of mine. However, I would certainly have known about it had he published such a paper, but we had never discussed it. I kept pushing, writing to ChatGPT that the link did not exist, and it would then provide me with a new one. Only after a dozen messages did the chat finally admit to simply inventing the link.

My Interests Beyond Science

Road cycling and mountain biking. I own two bicycles in Moscow and one in St. Petersburg. My brother and I go on bike rides when I visit family in St. Petersburg. My favourite places for biking are Shuvalovsky Park, Lembolovo, Sestroretsk, and Repino. In Moscow, I go on bike rides either solo or with a club. I like Butovsky Forest Park—it is large, genuinely like a forest, and has excellent trails.

Carpentry is another great pastime that helps me unwind and take my mind off work. Since childhood, I've been accustomed to doing carpentry with my father—sawing, whittling, and crafting things.

What I Have Been Reading

There is a book of Chekhov's short stories near my bed. When you don't have the energy to read something lengthy before bed, a short story is just what you need. Slowly and gradually, I currently read Dersu Uzala by Vladimir Arsenyev. I became interested in this book following conversations with my academic supervisor Alexey Obukhov during our travel to Kamchatka. He had recently returned from an expedition with his lyceum students to Primorsky Krai, which is the area described in Arsenyev’s book.

I also received some wonderful cycling magazines as a birthday gift, featuring amazing layouts and stories about travels around the world. I enjoy browsing through the magazines and reading the stories.

Advice for Those Who Choose a Career in Science

Don't romanticize science. Science is work; it can be challenging and often tedious. Sometimes, bachelor's or master's graduates with eager eyes aspire immediately to write groundbreaking papers and revolutionise the education system. That's not how it works. To answer a question, you need to read extensively, conduct thorough research, talk to many people, and work through it. This requires effort and competences. In science, your competences will never be enough, because it is impossible to read every paper, every textbook, understand all concepts, or communicate with every expert. Therefore, it is always a continuous process. Healthy self-criticism is essential for maintaining the accuracy and quality of your writing.

I also believe it is important not to limit yourself, eg by choosing to apply only quantitative or only qualitative methods. The most interesting insights often emerge at the intersection, where you examine issues from various perspectives and explore different approaches. Therefore, you need to pursue science with your eyes, ears, and heart wide open, remaining receptive to your mistakes and other viewpoints, while also being mindful of whether you truly want to commit to it for the long term.

My Favourite Locations in Moscow and St. Petersburg

I don’t want to come across as reclusive or asocial, but a place I really like is our Institute of Education. We have two small courtyards here, the place is quiet and cozy in its own way, even though we are right in the centre of the Moscow. In St. Petersburg, I love the Herzen University campus. It spans an entire block between Kazanskaya Street and Moika Embankment and consists of 20 buildings within a private area with centuries-old trees and a unique atmosphere.