Culture shock and the problem of linguocultural adaptation of students in a foreign-language environmen
DOI: 10.23951/1609-624X-2024-2-101-109
Globalization processes in the economy, the strengthening of political and cultural ties between states, the spread of the Internet and distance learning technologies, which marked the 21st century, contributed to the rapid growth of international academic mobility. In this regard, the issue of overcoming cultural shock and the problem of linguocultural adaptation of foreign students in a foreign language environment becomes especially relevant. To identify the difficulties that affect the process of linguocultural adaptation in the Russian-speaking educational environment, we conducted an online survey of foreign students studying at Tyumen State University (Tyumen). According to the results of the survey, the majority of foreign students has never heard of the theory of culture shock, but all the respondents we interviewed have experienced it to a greater or lesser extent. Among the main problems, the respondents mentioned the language barrier, problems of socialization, new climate conditions, unfamiliar food, etc. In such case overcoming the language barrier directly influences the effectiveness of the educational process. The peculiarities of the grammatical system of the Russian language, the auditory perception of Russian speech, word stress rules, fast speaking rate of native speakers, articulation of some sounds, semantic differences between synonyms present the most difficult issues for foreign students learning the Russian language. The research findings show that in order to adapt successfully to the foreign language environment it is necessary to know verbal and nonverbal means of communication and to use them correctly according to the situation or context, to have a positive attitude towards the interaction with native speakers, to strive to know the host culture better and avoid stereotyping, to be aware of the values and norms of the host society, to be tolerant towards the cultural identity of another ethnic group. In general, foreign students studying in Russia see the positive results of overcoming culture shock and characterise cross-cultural adaptation as invaluable experience which fostered personal growth and unleashed their full potential, gave them an excellent opportunity to acquire new knowledge and competencies.
Keywords: culture shock, linguocultural adaptation, foreign students, language barrier, cultural distance
References:
1. Fedotova V. A. Opyt eksperimental’nogo issledovaniya adaptatsionnykh kompetentsiy arabskikh i indiyskikh studentov [The Experimental Research of Adaptation Competences of Arab and Indian Students]. Vestnik NGU. Seriya: Lingvistika i mezhkul’turnaya kommunikatsiya – Vestnik NSU. Series: Linguistics and Intercultural Communication, 2019, no. 17 (3), pp. 109–119 (in Russian).
2. Babiker I. E., Cox J. L., Miller P. M. The measurement of cultural distance and its relationship to medical consultations, symptomatology and examination performance of overseas students at Edinburgh University. Soc Psychiatry, 1980, no. 15, pp. 109–116. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00578141 (accessed 23 August 2022).
3. Kozhemyakina V. A., Kolesnik N. G., Kryuchkova T. B. et al. Slovar’ sotsiolingvisticheskikh terminov [A Dictionary of Sociolinguistic terms]. Ed. V. Yu. Mikhal’chenko. Moscow, Institute of Linguistics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Publ., 2006. 312 p. (in Russian).
4. Beregovaya O. A., Lopatina S. S., Oturgasheva N. V. Bar’ery sotsiokul’turnoy adaptatsii inostrannykh studentov v rossiyskikh vuzakh [Barriers of social and cultural adaptation of foreign students in Russian universities]. Perspektivy nauki i obrazovaniya – Perspectives of Science and Education, 2019, no. 2(38), pp. 108–118 (in Russian). doi: 10.32744/pse.2019.2.9 (accessed 10 August 2022).
5. Winkelman M. Cultural shock and adaptation. Journal of Counseling & Development, 1994, no. 73 (2), pp. 121–126. URL: https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1556-6676.1994.tb01723.x (accessed 27 May 2022).
6. Oberg K. Cultural Shock: Adjustment to New Cultural Environments. Practical Anthropology, 1960, vol. os-7(4), pp. 177–182.
7. Berry J. Stress perspectives on acculturation. The Cambridge Handbook of Acculturation Psychology, 2006. P. 43–57.
8. Vereshchagin E. M., Kostomarov V. G. Yazyk i kul’tura. Tri lingvostranovedcheskiye kontseptsii: leksicheskogo fona, rechepovedencheskikh taktik i sapientemy [Language and culture. Three Linguistic-Cultural Conceptions of Lexical Background, Speech Behavioural Tactics and Sapientema]. Ed. by member of RAS Yu. S. Stepanov. Moscow, Indrik Publ., 2005. 1040 p. (in Russian).
9. Shaheen S. The effect of pre-departure preparation on student intercultural development during study abroad programs: doctoral dissertation. Ohio State University, 2004. URL: http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1091481152 (accessed 16 January 2023).
10. Duke S. T. Preparing to study abroad: Learning to cross cultures. Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing, 2014. 162 p.
11. Sadokhin A. P. Vvedeniye v teoriyu mezhkul’turnoy kommunikatsii [Introduction to the theory of cross-cultural communication]. Мoscow, Vysshaya shkola Publ., 2005. 310 p. (in Russian).
12. Pedersen P. The five stages of culture shock: Critical incidents around the world. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1995. 296 p.
13. Kim Y. Y. Becoming intercultural: An integrative theory of communication and cross-cultural adaptation. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc., 2000. 336 p.
14. Gladush A. D.,Trofimova G. N, Filippov V. M. Sotsial’no-kul’turnaya adaptatsiya inostrannykh grazhdan k usloviyam obucheniya i prozhivaniya v Rossii [Socio-cultural adaptation of international students to conditions of education and living conditions in Russia]. Moscow, RUDN Publ., 2008. 146 p. (in Russian).
15. Argunova V. N., Londadzhim T. Bar’ery sotsiokul’turnoy adaptatsii inostrannykh studentov, obuchayushchikhsya v rossiyskikh vuzakh [The barriers of social and cultural adaptation of foreign students studying in Russian universities]. Vestnik Nizhegorodskogo universiteta im. N. I. Lobachevskogo. Series: Social sciences – Vestnik of Lobachevsky State University of Nizhni Novgorod. Series: Social Sciences, 2008, no. 4 (12), pp. 7–12 (in Russian).
( 492.39 kB ) 
( 485.62 kB )
Issue: 2, 2024
Series of issue: Issue 2
Rubric: FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHING
Pages: 101 — 109
Downloads: 330