Social Adaptation of Foreign Students in Higher Educational Institutions (Case of Samara University)

Abstract

Research interest of the authors of this article was inspired by the objective of the Education National Project: to increase the number of foreign citizens studying in Russian universities. The aim of this study is theoretical and practical understanding of the social adaptation of the foreign students of Korolyov Samara National Research University (Samara University). Research methods: questionnaire and expert survey. Based on the results of this study, an assessment was made of the situation with the export of educational services; problems and special aspects of the social adaptation of foreign students were defined, as well as possibilities for increasing the number of foreign students at Samara University. The most important barriers to social adaptation of foreign students at Samara University were the following: language barrier that causes the problems of understanding educational content and passing examinations by foreign students; psychological barrier leading to the problems of interpersonal communication, self-realization and selfempowerment in new environment; household barrier which results, in particular, in problems of adaptation to living conditions, and also administrative barrier. Based on the research data, practical recommendations were defined. Favorable image of Samara University should be created in the global educational space what can be achieved by overcoming the administrative barrier between subjects involved in the social adaptation of foreign students. It is recommended to support student communities (interest groups, sports classes) and supervision and mentor system at the university; to create the information environment of the university; to involve foreign students in extracurricular activities; to organize specialized (additional) advanced training courses in Russian for foreign students and in foreign language for staff and professors; to improve the living conditions of foreign students.

Social adjustment of online learners in a multicultural environment (Ajuste social de los estudiantes de un programa en línea en un entorno multicultural)

“…Los resultados de nuestro estudio son similares. Según Pustarnakova et al (2020), el 71.6% de los participantes señalan barreras lingüísticas como el principal obstáculo en el ajuste de los estudiantes. El artículo describe el cuestionario sobre aspectos del ajuste, completado por 102 estudiantes de primero y segundo curso en 29 países.…”

“…The results of the present study are similar. According to Pustarnakova et al (2020), 71.6% of respondents specify language barriers as the main obstacle in students’ adjustment. The paper describes the survey on adjustment issues taken by 102 first- and second-year students from 29 countries.…”

“…The results of research by Turkpour and Mehdinezhad (2016) show that perceived social support can prevent the physiological adverse effects of illness, improve self-esteem and self-confidence and positively impact the social adjustment of students (Pustarnakova et al, 2020). These results are consistent with the findings of Khoshkonesh et al (2011) on the direct relationship between social support and students’ social adjustment ability (Turkpour & Mehdinezhad, 2016).…”

“…Los resultados de la investigación realizada por Turkpour y Mehdinezhad (2016) revelan que el apoyo social percibido puede prevenir los efectos psicológicos adversos de las enfermedades, mejora los niveles de autoestima y de confianza en sí mismo e influye positivamente en el ajuste social de los estudiantes (Pustarnakova et al, 2020). Estos resultados son coherentes con los obtenidos por Khoshkonesh et al (2011) sobre la relación directa entre el apoyo social y la capacidad de ajuste social de los estudiantes (Turkpour & Mehdinezhad, 2016).…”

Students’ satisfaction with the quality of educational services

“…Meanwhile, we have to highlight that compared to students in secondary vocational institutions, various aspects of life of university students are substantially represented in sociological and pedagogical literature including the aspects of formation of social activity and students' involvement in volunteering [1], the development of students' educational [2] and professional identity [3], the structure of their values [4], students' social adaptation [5], adaptation of first-year students [6] and the factors affecting the process of adaptation [7], adaptation of foreign students at universities [8,9], adaptation of students in large universities, and the difficulties faced by students in the process of learning and communication at the university [10]. Of special interest to us are the studies of I.A.…”