In the 21st century, new trends in socio-economic development pose new challenges to education systems worldwide, including Russia. The development of human capital is becoming an increasingly urgent task. Along with cognitive, it is equally important to develop non-cognitive, or universal competencies integrated into a single educational structure (Ludger, 2015). The transformation of education aimed at stimulating students' initiative, independence, and creativity has become more urgent.  The key is the concept of "Agency", considered as the ability to alter existing structures and institutions, rather than simply strengthen them (Kuzminov et al., 2019; Udehn, 2002). Agency is synonymous with initiative, independence, or transformative, expansive action. Its value is not reducible to other skills or components of human capital (Estrin, et al, 2016; Bosio, et al., 2018). The OECD Education 2030 project considers agency as a key result and condition of education (OECD, 2018).

Extracurricular activities (ECA) have a high potential for the development of non-cognitive, personal qualities, and independence and creativity of students (Lareau, Weininger, 2008; Peterson, et al., 2013).

However, in 2020, the introduction of emergency measures to prevent the spread of the covid-19 pandemic related to the suspension of full-time education became a real challenge for the entire education system. The issue of continuing the functioning of ECA, focused on face-to-face communication, practical activities, and voluntary participation has acquired particular relevance. Studies point at a decrease in the participation of children in ECA [Ilari et al., 2021], and a drop in the academic motivation of students during isolation associated with a decrease in their participation in ECA (Zaccoletti et al., 2020). At the same time, the adaptation of families engaged in ECA to new conditions has been studied rather poorly.

As a result of the pandemic, the role and responsibility of students and their families in the educational process have increased (Kalil, Mayer, & Shah, 2020; Weaver & Swank, 2021).  New and unique conditions have emerged for the manifestation of independence (agency) and, therefore, for their study and analysis. Based on the sociological view of agency (Sorokin, Frumin, 2020), the theme of the rules and norms that people follow and that they transform or generate "from scratch" is important.

Studies conducted during the pandemic (Abramova et al., 2020; Dwivedi et al., 2020) show the critical importance of independent individual proactive action during a crisis.  It presupposes the ability to perform differently - for example, to independently master and practically apply new educational content without losing motivation to study [Sorokin, Zykova, 2021]. In the context of “de-structuring” and the   social systems’ collapse, including in education, the ability to proactively create new communities and groups becomes one of the key indicators of agency, especially in the online space.

The purpose of this study: to investigate the manifestations of agency among schoolchildren engaged in ECA in a distance format, including family level, to determine the factors related to these processes and their possible effects, including adaptation of students to learning conditions in the context of a pandemic.

Research questions:

- How did families perceive the transfer of ECA to a distance format? Have rules been developed to help them adapt to new conditions?

- What were the sources for new rules and behavior models?

- Were children engaged in ECA involved in the creation of new communities and groups in the online space?  What topics were they dedicated to?

- Are there any differences in the manifestations of agency by students depending on the socio-economic status of families?

- What were the effects of the manifestation of agency by students? Did it help them to adapt to ECA in a new format?

Data were obtained from the results of a survey of students (N=16 666) and their parents (N=19 431) on the transition to a remote form of education during self-isolation. It was conducted in May 2020 by the Pinsky Centre of General and Extracurricular Education of the HSE Institute of Education together with the federal operator of ECA navigators "Inlearno". The sample includes representatives from all federal districts. The level of Internet penetration in Russia is high and relatively homogeneous (more than 80% of the population is covered. Taking into account the large sample size, the survey results can be considered representative for Russia. The questionnaire for parents (28 questions) includes two questions on the development of family rules to help adapt to quarantine conditions and their sources: "Have your family developed rules to help adapt to new conditions and continue the education of children in quarantine?" and "Where did the new rules for the continuation of the child's education and life in quarantine come from?". Next, the questionnaire asks about the agent activity of the child: "Did he/she create in quarantine, or was he/she one of the co-initiators of the creation, and “did your child independently group on the Internet on issues related to education or other topics?". A question assessing the respondents' agreement with the main statements that measure the success of adaptation to the conditions of the pandemic, and describe the nature of the effects of the implementation of ECA in quarantine followed: “How much do you agree with the following statements characterizing the situation of ECA in quarantine?, including such positions as "There are more opportunities for self-education"; "There is an additional incentive for the development of new technologies"; "The possibilities of the child, thanks to distance learning, have expanded". The next question elucidates the change in the interest of children to engage in ECA in new conditions: "How did the interests of your children and their motivation to engage in ECA change in connection with the transition to a distance learning format?". The questionnaire also contained a set of questions on the socio-economic status of the family. The questionnaire for students (22 questions) is similar to the parent questionnaire, asking about the development of rules in the family, their sources, and agency activities. The questionnaire also has a question assessing the effects of ECA by the respondents in new conditions and changes in interest in ECA.

The study shows that in most Russian families, the adaptation to ECA during quarantine occurred spontaneously. Less than a quarter of families developed new and clear rules for adapting to new conditions and continuing these activities. However, even in those cases where the rules were in place, they were most often borrowed from the outside environment, i.e. proposed by representatives of the education system. In only one family in ten, the parents themselves (or together with their children) were involved in the development of such rules, and less than one percent of the children developed the rules themselves. Approximately a third of children under quarantine were engaged in agent activities in the form of creating new communities and groups on the Internet. However, it is precisely those children who showed the greatest agency, both in terms of developing rules in families and at the level of creating new online communities, who demonstrated the highest interest in ECA in a distance format and saw in such activities the expansion of opportunities and prospects for their development. According to the accumulated research experience in Russia and abroad, it can be assumed that one of the most important factors determining the agency of a child is the influence of the family. This research indicates that that сhildren with the highest level of agency most often come from the most materially well-off families. At the same time, we see signs that parental control and the imposing of certain new norms without involving children in their development may negatively affect the success of adaptation to new conditions.

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