Social And Communicative Adaptation Of International Students At Russia Universities: Problems, Peculiarities And Characteristic

The topicality of this article is because more and more modern universities are interested in internationalization, as they seek to gain recognition at the international level. In addition, more and more future students from different countries have the opportunity to choose universities and countries in which they want to get education. At the same time, the attraction of international students to universities is connected with the problem of their adaptation to the new conditions, and this is a rather important task facing Russian universities. The purpose of the study is to study the peculiarities of foreign students’ adaptation in the socio-cultural space of Russian education; to identify problems faced by students in the process of studying in Russian universities.  Research methods: as a research method, we used questionnaire survey as a method that allow quick and efficient exploration of features and problems arising in the course of international students’ adaptation. Research results: the article deals with social and communicative adaptation of international students studying in Russian universities. The peculiarities of adaptation process in Russian universities in the representation of international students are described.  The novelty and originality of the study lies in the fact that the main factors affecting the way of choice of international students’ adaptation are considered. It has been determined that adaptation of international students to the educational environment of a Russian university is a multidimensional and lengthy process that covers all spheres of their lives. It is revealed that the most difficult aspects of adaptation for foreign students are adaptation to new climate conditions and time; to new sociocultural environment; to new educational system; to new language of communication; to international character of groups.  For the first time, it was determined that the main problem identified by the international students surveyed were problems related to the language and living conditions in the hostel. It was found that the standard of living in the dormitories was satisfactory for most international students, but often did not meet their expectations.  It is shown that students from neighboring countries adapt faster than other international students. It has been determined that the majority of international students who came to Russia for higher education do speak Russian, which allows them to become more involved in the host society more quickly.  It was revealed that after graduating from the Russian university, international students want to go back to their home to get a job there.  It has been determined that for successful adaptation of international students at the Russian university the following is necessary: to create councils of international students that will help them in solving important issues; to duplicate important information in dormitories and study buildings in foreign languages; to support the formation of student communities (groups of interests or according to needs) so that international students have the opportunity to interact with other international students, discuss emerging problems, find support, study Russian; maintain a high level of motivation to study, as well as receive a variety of information about life and study at the university; it is necessary to develop a system of coaching and mentoring, taking an active part in forming a community of international students. The practical significance of the data obtained in this work lies in their use in social psychology, ethnic psychology, pedagogy, age psychology, sociology and for further theoretical development of this issue.