Linguistic Aspect of the Technology for the Use of Video Content in the Process of Adaptation of Foreign Students at Higher Education Institutions of the United States of America

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to determine the structure of technology for the use of video content for linguistic and cultural adaptation of foreign students at higher education institutions of the USA from psycholinguistic point of view. The article is concerned with the analysis of practical measures aimed at forming and developing communication and socio-cultural competence when using video content, including professionally-oriented video content. In the course of the research, the level of influence of video content on the development of foreign students' linguistic and social skills, which are necessary for a comprehensive communication with cultural elements, was determined using the descriptive method. Comparative historical and typological methods allowed to determine whether foreign students could identify any historical and linguistic changes in the language they learned, as well as make a comparative analysis of native and foreign languages. The impact of video content used during adaptation activities was analyzed using sociolinguistic methods, namely the field research method aimed at the identification of a direct correlation between film screenings and the development of the ability to use linguistic and cultural patterns in foreign students, as well as the method of sociolinguistic research which helped to conduct a more detailed study of the socio-communicative elements formed and the impact that the cultural specifics of the society had on them. The applied linguistic method helped to conduct a more detailed study of the impact of video text on the communication skills of a person. Linguistic and cultural patterns are an important component of successful communication for a foreign student since it provides them with elements that can be put to use when needed in social relations. One of the most widely used methods for forming such patterns at HEI of the USA is the use of video content which involves screenings of American films (for direct acculturation, when a foreign student adapts to the linguistic and cultural specifics of the host country) and films produced in the countries from which students came (for reverse acculturation, when local students adapt to the socio-cultural specifics of foreign students). The use of video content in acculturation activities helps a foreign student develop not only linguistic and cultural patterns that are necessary for academic and social activities in the host country, but also critical thinking, which facilitates analysis of new socio-cultural and linguistic information, thereby preventing the negative effects of culture shock. Moreover, video content can be presented with a twofold purpose, as it may be socioculturally oriented (presenting cultural specifics or social problems of the host country) and professionally oriented (containing specialized vocabulary); it can also provide the opportunity for direct and reverse acculturation.