Linguistic communication and adaptation of foreign students in Russian universities

The article presents information about the linguistic barrier as one of the main potential adaptation stressors for foreign students, its impact on interpersonal interaction and academic performance, and presents the results of a study conducted among foreign students in Russia with the aim of finding out their opinion about the teaching of the Russian language. The study was attended by 90 foreign students with experience in learning Russian at a Russian university. The results showed that the linguistic barrier can have a negative impact both on the educational process and on interpersonal interaction and psychological comfort of international students. According to respondents, the main conditions conducive to learning Russian are teaching the features of spoken Russian, which differs from academic discourse, creating organizational and pedagogical conditions for non-academic communication between foreigners and local students and teachers, the need for a warmer, friendlier atmosphere and teachers displaying such personal characteristics as patience and understanding in working with foreign students, adaptation of materials, which implies simplification of educational materials and lingual formulations in the teaching process for their better understanding by international students.