Internationalization of higher education in Russia: Sociocultural interaction of students from the BRICS countries (Russia, China)

Abstract

Russian educational space of universities is characterized by sociocultural interaction in mixed groups (in which students from around the world study). Sociocultural interaction creates the conditions for the formation of such competencies as tolerance, the ability to work in representatives of other countries and cultures. The study involved students from Russia and China, studying at universities in Yekaterinburg (N = 1000 students) and experts in the field of education in Russia and China (N = 20). The following methods were used for interpreting the research data: comparative and level analysis of the research results; statistical methods: descriptive statistics method, pair distribution method, Likert scale, student t-test. The results of the study made it possible to identify differences in the students' culture, the main points that impede everyday interaction within the same educational space of a Russian university: insufficient knowledge of the socially normative and ethical principles of the new social and cultural environment; inconsistency in some cultural values; problems of understanding and ambiguity of decoding of Russian speech. A regularity is revealed that demonstrates the process of inculturation of Chinese students in the learning process in the sociocultural conditions of Russian universities. So from the moment of admission to the moment of graduation, there is an increase in the indicators of sociocultural interaction of Chinese students: the information-analytical component (from M = 27.7 to M = 31.8), the motivational-evaluative component (from M = 27.6 to M = 32.3), the communicative component (from M = 25.2 to M = 31.6), the activity component (from M = 24.2 to M = 32.1). However, in order to achieve high indicators, it is necessary to pay attention to optimization processes through joint Russian-Chinese events for organizing leisure and recreation, joint public student associations, excursion programs aimed at acquaintance with the culture of the host country, the mutual interaction of Russian and Chinese students in social networks and instant messengers. © 2020 LLC Ecological Help. All rights reserved.