Formation of Russia’s image among foreign university students in the system of continuous philological education

Statement of the problem. The article analyzes the problem of forming a positive image of Russia among foreign students at a Russian university specializing in Linguistics. There is a correlation between the current image of the country where foreigners study and the level of their motivation to obtain higher education. The purpose of this article is to identify and describe foreign students’ perceptions of Russia within the context of philological education, and to develop recommendations for fostering a positive image of Russia and Russians during foreign language (RFL) classes. Methodology and methods. The article draws upon research on national image (G.D. Gachev, E.V. Dzyuba, S.A. Eremina, V.B. Zemskov) and applies it to the methodology of teaching Russian as a foreign language in higher education, based on a communicative approach (E.I. Passov). The primary focus is on perceptions about Russia among foreign students (A.I. Gorcheeva, O.M. Dedova, A.D. Ivanova, A.P. Sadokhin, T.N. Chumakova). To achieve the research goal, the following methods were used: theoretical analysis of relevant pedagogical literature and empirical methods, including analysis, and surveys. Research results. A survey of 110 foreign students at Herzen State Pedagogical University of Russia identified and described perceptions of Russia. The results revealed that the negative perceptions of these future philologists are linked to the Russian lifestyle (69 %), climate, and geography (70 %). The presence of these negative components in Russia’s image poses an obstacle to the studies, daily life, and future employment of philology students. Addressing these negative perceptions by incorporating them into the development of academic disciplines for teaching RFL helps to correct misconceptions, thereby increasing motivation to learn and improving foreigners’ understanding of Russia. Conclusion. This topic is highly relevant within the system of continuing philological education for foreigners, as Russia’s global image is currently undergoing significant changes. This article provides recommendations for designing university-level philological courses that incorporate and address the image of Russia.