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18CULTURAL SCIENCES
PROBLEMS OF SOCIO-CULTURAL ADAPTATION OF FOREIGN STUDENTS STUDYING ON
ACADEMIC MOBILITY PROGRAMS
Gladkikh I.
PHD, Associate Professor of High School of International Educational Programs of Peter the Great Saint
Petersburg Polytechnic University, Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation
Abstract
The article is devoted to the problem of adaptation of foreign students to a new socio-cultural space. The course "History and culture of St. Petersburg" as an example of academic disciplines that help foreign students to overcome the language and the socio-cultural barrier is described in the article.
Students who come to another country on academic mobility programs find themselves in a difficult situation. They have not only to learn studying at a higher educational institution in another country, but also to adapt to a completely unfamiliar socio-cultural space. During the period of adaptation, foreign students face a large number of problems: new climatic, household, academic conditions, etc. Foreign students get acquainted with a new for them culture, perceiving it through the prism of their own culture. The cultural barrier that arises in this case is often difficult to overcome. So in the process of teaching foreign students at universities in other countries, it is necessary to explain and prevent inadequate associations caused by cultural, historical, socio-psychological characteristics and the uniqueness of the national culture. A foreign student, being aware of his national values, gradually learns to understand and respect the values of another culture, another way of life, overcomes stereotypes and prejudiced attitude to another culture, which helps him to achieve mutual understanding when communicating.
In connection with this, academic disciplines that help foreign students to overcome the language and the socio-cultural barrier are of great importance. An example of such discipline is the course "History and culture of St. Petersburg", which is taught at the High School of International Educational Programs of Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University. The course lasts for 24 academic hours and is intended for international students who come to St. Petersburg on academic mobility programs. The course is taught in English and Russian, which allows students with different levels of Russian language proficiency to get acquainted with the history and culture of the city. Students get acquainted with the main historical events, sights, historical figures and their role in the creation and development of St. Petersburg. After each lecture, students receive links to additional material that can be read, viewed, and listened to online. In addition, students are invited to take part in city tours to see the places they heard about on lectures.
All students who have taken this course note that the course has helped them to learn more about the history and culture of a new city and country, as well as to understand the current situation and Russian people, and to find many interesting places that they haven't heard anything about before. All students have a positive impression of the city and the country on the whole, although many note the presence of problems.
Thus, the course on the history and culture of the host city is useful for foreign students, as it helps them to adapt to the new socio-cultural environment, understand the national mentality and get rid of stereotypes. This course helps foreign students develop background knowledge, which is very important and useful when learning the language of the host country. In turn, learning the language of the host country helps foreign students to understand better some historical and cultural realities. Thus, we see that the parallel study of the courses on the history and culture and the language of the country of residence facilitates the socio-cultural adaptation of foreign students.
Keywords: Foreign students, programs of academic mobility, socio-cultural adaptation, intercultural communication
The modern stage of development of the higher education is characterized by the intensification of international activities in the training of specialists for foreign countries. Academic mobility programs play an important role in this process.
Students who come to another country on academic mobility programs find themselves in a difficult situation. They have not only to learn studying at a higher educational institution in another country, but also to adapt to a completely unfamiliar socio-cultural environment. During the period of adaptation, foreign students face a large number of problems: new climatic, household, academic conditions, etc. One of these problems is the difficulty of adapting to the new socio-
cultural environment. In this regard, it is necessary to make the process of adaptation of foreign students to the new conditions as comfortable and fast as possible, so that this process does not negatively affect the acquisition of new knowledge and skills by students.
Students who come to another country on academic mobility programs get acquainted with a new for them culture, perceiving it through the prism of their own culture. The cultural barrier that arises in this case is often difficult to overcome. Cultural mistakes of a foreigner attract attention more than language mistakes and make a negative impression on others. [1] The fact is that each person's behavior is determined by the norms and values of his native culture. In the process
of intercultural communication, different views of the world and different cultures collide, and language and socio-cultural differences always have to be overcome. A person who first encounters another culture perceives it through the prism of his own culture and traditions. Hence there is an open misunderstanding. As a rule, no one questions his own views, people take an ethnocentric position and attribute stupidity, ignorance or malice to the other side. "Ethnocentrism is a psychological attitude to perceive and evaluate other cultures and the behavior of their representatives from the point of view of their culture. At the same time, one's own culture is seen as the only correct one that surpasses all other cultures" [2, p. 25]. According to A.P. Sadohin, for the effective maintenance of cultural encounters and forms of communication partners must know not only the language but also the history, norms, rules and traditions of another culture, to have an idea about the features of mentality and national character [3].
M.M. Bakhtin wrote about the clash and mutual enrichment of cultures: "A foreign culture only reveals itself more fully and deeply in the eyes of another culture... One meaning reveals its depths when it meets and touches another, another meaning: a dialogue begins between them, which overcomes the isolation and one-sidedness of these meanings, these cultures. We put new questions to a foreign culture that it did not ask itself, we look for answers to these questions, and the foreign culture answers us, opening up new sides of itself, new semantic depths. ... At such a dialogical meeting of two cultures, they do not merge and do not mix, each retains its unity and open integrity, but they are mutually enriched" [4, p.353 - 354].
So in the process of teaching foreign students at universities in other countries, it is necessary to explain and prevent inadequate associations caused by cultural, historical, socio-psychological characteristics and the uniqueness of the national culture. A foreign student, being aware of his national values, gradually learns to understand and respect the values of another culture, another way of life, overcomes stereotypes and prejudiced attitude to another culture, which helps him to achieve mutual understanding when communicating.
In connection with this, academic disciplines that help foreign students overcome the language and the socio-cultural barrier are of great importance. An example of such discipline is the course "History and culture of St. Petersburg", which is taught at the High School of International Educational Programs of Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University. The course lasts for 24 academic hours and is intended for international students who come to St. Petersburg on academic mobility programs. The number of students coming to these programs is constantly increasing, which is encouraging, as it shows the growing interest of foreign citizens in our country, as well as the absence of fear of an unfamiliar culture and a new language, despite widespread negative stereotypes about Russia. The course is taught in English and Russian, which allows students with different Russian language proficiency to get acquainted with the history and culture of the city where they are studying.
The course includes historical and cultural information from ancient times to the present day. Students get acquainted with the main historical events, sights, historical figures and their role in the creation and development of St. Petersburg. After each lecture, students receive links to additional material that can be read and viewed online. Thus, students who want to learn more about the history, modernity and culture of the city have the opportunity to get acquainted with additional material on their own. In addition, students are invited to take part in city tours to see the places they heard about on lectures. This course helps foreign students to adapt more easily to their new socio-cultural environment, to understand the peculiarities of Russian mentality and Russian character. At the end of the course, international students are asked to complete a short test and write a mini-essay.
A conversation conducted with students at the very beginning of the course showed, that students had no idea about the history and culture of St. Petersburg or were only superficially familiar with some of the historical events and sights of the city.
At the end of the course, a survey of students was conducted to find out their opinion about this course. Students were asked to answer what information was the most interesting for them.
For Finnish students, the most interesting information was about the daily life of people in different historical eras.
Students from China were more interested in information about Russian writers and emperors, sights of the city, as well as about the life of the city during the Soviet period and after the collapse of the USSR. Special interest was aroused by the Peter's era and the construction of the city.
Students from Germany and Belgium were very interested in the XIXth century and the beginning of the XXth century, as well as the siege of Leningrad. In addition, all of them noted that they were greatly helped by information about various museums and interesting places for leisure.
Students from Italy noted information about emperors, museums and parks as the most interesting. They were also very interested in lectures about the life of the city during the wars of the XXth century.
American students noted that they were most interested in information about the siege of Leningrad and everyday life in Soviet times.
An essay that students wrote at the end of the course showed how attitudes to the city and country changed during their stay. It is nice that students have overcome their fears and prejudices and leave with pleasant memories of the city, its people and the country on the whole.
"I love this place for its beautiful urban landscape, for its culture, for its rich history and for its good-natured inhabitants. I leave a part of my heart here." (China)
"I used to have the impression that Russians are always serious, even indifferent. But during this time in St. Petersburg, I received a lot of help. They are patient enough with a foreigner. Saint Petersburg has left me a very warm memory." (China)
"My first impression of St. Petersburg is a cold city. The cold climate made the city seem cold, too. But after a few months of living in St. Petersburg, I learned that Russians are romantic, serious, hot and open." (China)
"My first impression of St. Petersburg - it is a cultural city. In the metro, many people read books, and in China, everyone plays computer games. In my opinion, St. Petersburg is a wonderful city. It's like a classic. We need to read it many times." (China)
"It was an interesting exchange semester, because few people in Europe know about Russia. I learned a lot about the country and got a positive impression of it." (Germany)
"I really liked the creative spaces and lofts, and they reminded me of my hometown of Berlin. At the same time, you feel like in Venice, among the canals and bridges. Over time, I realized why St. Petersburg is called "a window to Europe"." (Germany)
"In contrast to the weather, people in Russia are not cold and friendly. They are open and interested in us. Russia and its people are above prejudice. Many things work better here than in Germany. The city is very clean. I have always felt safe, public transport and railways are very reliable. However, St. Petersburg and Moscow cannot be compared with the rest of the country. Petersburg has become one of my favorite cities, and I want to return here one day." (Germany)
"When I arrived in St. Petersburg, I thought it was a city for tourists. When I began to study the history of the city, I began to understand its character. Now I can see the history on the streets and walls of buildings of St. Petersburg, I learned how important this city is for the history of the country and the world." (USA)
Students also wrote about the facts that surprised them in the city.
"I love ice cream here, but I was surprised by the products. There are salted fish and sour cucumbers. To be honest, I don't really like these products." (China)
"Saint Petersburg is often cloudy and rainy. But it surprised me that it has its own energy. It has old history and traditional art. This city has left me with many beautiful impressions that are different from my traditional impressions." (China)
"I noticed that St. Petersburg is a real cultural center of Russia. And the people of the city surprised me. They are very kind. They respect and love art." (China) "In St. Petersburg, I was most surprised by the "bottomless elevator". How much work and wisdom it takes to build such a deep metro! I was also struck by the artistic beauty of metro stations. Each station has its own style and beauty!" (China)
"I was struck by the size of the city. Everything is much bigger and further apart than in my country. I was surprised when I found out that bridges are open every night, and this creates a problem to get home. I was even more surprised when I learned that the metro also stops working at night. I still don't think it's a good idea for a city with 5 million people!" (Germany)
"Being familiar with the post-Soviet character traits, I was surprised by the responsiveness and friendliness of St. Petersburg, its citizens and government
agencies in particular. I was particularly surprised by the constantly changing weather. (Germany)
"I was surprised how easily I could fall in love with everyday life in this city. However, it never loses its charm!" (Germany)
"I was surprised at how comfortable the metro and other forms of public transport are here, it is not so convenient in Belgium!"(Belgium)
"I still don't understand why young people speak English so poorly. And I probably will never understand why people who speak only Russian work in the visa Department and the international hostel. I have never learned a foreign language so quickly to be understood!" (Germany)
"The character of the people of St. Petersburg surprised me most of all. I can see and appreciate the difference between Russians and Americans: we are different, but not bad. I now have several friends from St. Petersburg, and they are very important to me." (USA) All students who have taken this course note that the course has helped them to learn more about the history and culture of a new city and country, as well as to understand the current situation and Russian people, and to find many interesting places that they haven't heard anything about before. Also, all students noted that excursions with a teacher helped them navigate the city more easily. The information received by the students at the lectures was translated into reality when they went through the places they heard about. In addition, during the excursions, students saw not only the ceremonial city, but also got acquainted with its daily life and everyday life of ordinary citizens, which made it easier for them to understand life in the city and country. Informal communication with the teacher during the tour and going outside the classroom also facilitate foreign students ' socio-cultural adaptation to new conditions. All students have a positive impression of the city and the country on the whole, although many note the presence of problems. It is nice that these problems do not affect the general perception of the country as friendly and open.
Thus, the course on the history and culture of the host city is useful for foreign students, as it helps them to adapt to the new socio-cultural environment, understand the national mentality and get rid of stereotypes. This course helps foreign students develop background knowledge, which is very important and useful when learning the language of the host country. "Language does not exist outside of culture, i.e. outside of the socially inherited set of practical skills and ideas that characterize our way of life." [5, p. 185] in turn, learning the language of the host country helps foreign students to understand some historical and cultural realities more easily. When learning a foreign language, a linguistic and culturological approach to teaching students is very important, since it "makes it possible to get away from a simplified factual, fragmentary approach to familiarizing students with certain aspects of culture and allows students to form a fairly complete picture of foreign-language reality through the study of both the linguistic and non-linguistic content of selected cultural areas."[6, p. 105]
Thus, we see that the parallel study of the courses on the history and culture and the language of the country of residence facilitates the socio-cultural adaptation of foreign students. In addition, this parallel study of complementary courses is a clear example of the implementation of interdisciplinary links
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1. S.G. Ter-Minasova. Language and intercultural communication. Moscow: Slovo, 2000.
2. E. Sepir. "Language. Introduction to the study of speech", Selected works on Linguistics and cultural studies, Moscow: Progress group "Univers". pp. 5 -22,1993.
3. A.P. Sadokhin. Intercultural competence: the essence and mechanisms of formation. Autoref. dis. on the degree of Doctorate in cultural studies. Moscow, 2008.
4. M.M. Bakhtin. Esthetics of verbal creativity. Moscow, 1986
5. T.B. Frick. Fundamentals of the theory of intercultural communication: textbook. Tomsk: Tomsk Polytechnic University Publishing house, 2013.
6. O.L. Digina. "Influence of the linguoculturolog-ical approach on the formation of intercultural communication in teaching a foreign language", Lingua mobi-lis, no. 4. pp. 99-105, 2009.
