The role of cultural identity in teaching foreign languages in higher education

The study of the discipline Foreign language consists of the assimilation of grammatical and lexical material. To do this, students need to try to understand and accept the world of the studied language, which is reflected in the thinking of native speakers. It is impossible to learn foreign languages without considering the particularities of the national mentality. As they say, language is the spirit of the people, and is embodied in the national language.

The relevance of chosen research topic lies in the need for the formation of intercultural competence. Globalization still continues to influence the increasing interaction between peoples. Language proficiency is impossible without understanding and respecting the culture of the country. Thus, cultural identity becomes a key factor in the formation of intercultural identity, since it includes an understanding of one’s own culture and the ability to interpret a new culture.

Cultural identity education promotes understanding of cultural differences. This is especially important when groups of students consist of different nationalities and cultures. Our central aim is to raise the quality of foreign language instruction, and we contend that embedding cultural context is a primary lever for this improvement. When teachers take students’ cultural identities into account, they can design materials that are more relevant and engaging and select pedagogical strategies that better match learners’ backgrounds and needs.

Moreover, when students interact with the cultural diversity present in the world language classroom this enhances students’ critical thinking, encourages them to examine their own cultural positionality, and helps them understand how their cultural positionality shapes their understanding of the culture as well as the understanding of other people’s cultures. This means that students can understand the world more objectively without stereotypes and bias.

Within the framework of our article, the main objectives of the study are to identify and analyze the impact of students’ cultural identity on the learning process of foreign languages. It is important to identify the interrelationships between the cultural aspects inherent in students and their ability to successfully master foreign languages. And also to identify key aspects of cultural identity that can be effectively integrated into the educational process. Set against this backdrop, the paper spells out why cultural identity is pedagogically consequential in university foreign-language classrooms and converts these conceptual insights into actionable guidance for practitioners – ranging from syllabus design and task sequencing to assessment rubrics, materials selection, and everyday interactional routines.

The study pursues three objectives: to articulate the conceptual foundations of cultural identity and its effects on learning processes and outcomes; to synthesize the existing scholarship on identity-informed approaches to L2 teaching; and to formulate actionable recommendations for embedding identity-aware content, methods, and assessment into higher-education language courses.

Methodology

Our research will be based on the logic of quality-oriented comparative design and includes a systematic review of the literature on the problem of cultural identity in teaching foreign languages in higher education.

In this study, we will begin by reviewing and analyzing the literature of Russian researchers who have devoted their work to cultural identity, in order to identify the definitions of this concept proposed by scientists, after which we will formulate our own definition.

In our country, such scientists as L. V. Melnikova, A. P. Minyar-Belorucheva, M. M. Predovskaya, E. G. Tareva, E. V. Troinikova, D. N. Shulgina and others were engaged in research of cultural identity. The time frame of our study covers the period from 2000 to 2025. Eligible sources will span peer-reviewed journal articles, monographs and book chapters, empirical studies (qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods), systematic and meta-analytic reviews, and doctoral dissertations.

The focus will be on higher education and the relationship of cultural identity to foreign language teaching, including described techniques, interventions, and measurable outcomes such as motivation, willingness to communicate, intercultural competence, and academic performance.

Thus, in our study, we aim to demonstrate exactly how cultural identity is integrated into specific university practices in our country and which elements should be adapted to improve the quality of foreign language teaching in higher education.

Discussion

The process of globalization became a noticeable trend at the end of the 20th century. Globalization affects all aspects of public life, including economics, politics, social structures, technology, and culture. For educational institutions, including universities, the study of cultural identity means the need for targeted support for reflexivity, intercultural mediation and ethics of interaction, allowing to combine local rootedness with willingness to dialogue in a global space.

In her research, D. N. Shulgina notes the complex and painful consequences of globalization, which affects the “sensitive tissue of culture” [5]. The author gives the following definition of cultural identity: “a person’s cultural identity is a person’s awareness of his “I” as a subject of culture, which is associated with his steady inclusion in semantic zeros isolated by culture with their linguistic forms, values, traditions, and behavioral guidelines” [5].

Accordingly, cultural identity can be defined as an individual’s reflective awareness of affiliation with a particular culture – both the recognition of membership and a felt sense of belonging to its values, symbols, and practices. It is reflected in a person’s habitual participation in shared repertoires:

• •    linguistic and expressive practices (language choice, forms of address, communicative style);

• •    value orientations and judgments about what is right and wrong; and traditions, rituals, and customary practices (holidays, rituals, everyday practices);

• •    norms of behavior (how to greet, how to argue, how to show respect).

Being a cultural subject means not just consuming, but participating: supporting and passing on these meanings and practices. Consider a straightforward illustration: in a culture that values hospitality and deference to elders, you will typically use the locally accepted language and honorific forms, observe customary holidays and rituals, and conduct yourself in ways the community recognizes as appropriate. This is what shapes your cultural identity. In other words, it is a stable feeling of who I am and among whom I belong, based on common meanings, language, values and traditions.

M. M. Predovskaya investigated the modification and transformation of cultural identity. In her opinion, one of the oldest questions a person asked himself was “Who am I?” [2]. “The category of identity quickly gained popularity, both in scientific and socio-political circles, gradually approaching the sphere of everyday use. And when we once again encounter a social, ethnic, national, regional, linguistic, gender, individual or collective identity, we often tend to perceive the meaning of the concept based on context and common sense, rather than on its exact meaning” [2].

The author interprets “cultural identity as a special way of relationship between a person and culture, a person and Another world, a person with himself and with society” [2]. In this view, cultural identity shifts over time, and these shifts materially influence a person’s place attachment and patterns of engagement with the broader world.

In K. L. Yaprintseva’s research, cultural identity is presented as a very ambiguous concept. In order to reveal the essence and structure of cultural identity, it is necessary to turn to the deep foundations of human existence in culture. “At the same time, the basis of any cultural integrity must be sought, first of all, in the human factor of social reality, in what really unites people within a certain epoch or space” [10].

An important aspect in this processis understanding how individual and collective identities are formed and transformed under the influence of historical, social and cultural factors. Cultural identity is not static; it is constantly evolving, reflecting changes in society and the interaction between different cultures. Accordingly, attention should be paid not only to what cultural identity consists of, but also to its dynamics and the settings in which it is expressed and evolves.

The approaches observed in the scientific literature agree that cultural identity is grounded in a person’s constant development of linguistic forms, values, traditions, and norms of behavior, but at the same time it is always shifting and sensitive to history and global changes.

D. N. Shulgina focuses on the conscious inclusion of a person in cultural semantic fields (language, values, traditions, behavioral guidelines) and on the fact that globalization affects this fabric of culture, making identity the subject of constant reflection.

M. M. Predovskaya emphasizes that identity is a way of relating a person to culture, to Another world, to himself and society; its content is not fixed once and for all, but is discussed and revised in different social contexts. K. L. Yaprintseva stresses the human dimension: cultural coherence arises from lived ties that bind people within specific times and places. Consequently, identity is made and remade by historical circumstances, social structures, and cultural contexts.

Том 19, № 4, 2025, стр. 151–159

think about the aspects that make one’s own culture unique.

N. V. Ryapolova argues in her study that the importance of the cultural identity of students during a time of geopolitical conflict is only compounded. She further observes that contemporary society needs well-educated, capable, and proactive professionals with strong cultural literacy in two directions: attuned to the cultural codes of the target-language community and firmly grounded in their own culture. “The study of a foreign language is still of utmost importance in intercultural communication, since it is language that describes culture, it becomes a link between culture and identity, and plays a structure-forming role in the formation of cultural identity” [3].

The view of N. V. Ryapolova reflects the necessity of counting the ethnocultural characteristics of the student in the process of studying the language. Built on long-standing ethno-personal ties shaped by history, family, and community, an ethnocultural orientation requires adapting programs and pedagogy to learners’ cultural backgrounds, traditions, and values. Such adaptation includes sequencing that respects cultural calendars, cases drawn from relevant contexts, and interaction norms aligned with students’ communicative conventions. The key points that can be distinguished from this statement are:

• •    consideration of ethnocultural characteristics,

• •    the formation of an ethnic worldview,

• •    ethnic identity and thinking,

• •    ethnoculture as a complex phenomenon.

This creates an inclusive educational environment.

The author consistently stresses that strengthening university students’ cultural identity hinges on cultivating a deep, reflective understanding of their own cultural heritage and an informed recognition of their country’s internal cultural and ethnic diversity. For the author, the need to study native culture in foreign language classes is very obvious [3]. It is important to know the customs, traditions, way of life, behavioral features, historical events and holidays of your country for proper translation and the opportunity to share this knowledge with another culture.

As a result of a thorough analysis of various studies, it becomes necessary to consider the work programs of the disciplines of the training areas 38.03.03 Personnel Management, 39.03.01 Sociology, 37.03.01 Psychology and 42.03.01 Advertising and Public Relations of the State University of Management. The goal of this palmary analysis is to determine the degree to which the cultural identity is emphasized in the foreign language instruction (FLI) of the programmatic courses in the State University of Management.

The training programs involve skills like UK-4 related to business communications in both written and oral forms in the official language of the Russian Federation, as well as a foreign language. The curricula survey themes of personality and professional interpersonal relations, including personality theories, typologies and traits; profiles of notable figures and their achievements; and, importantly, the challenges that arise in social, interpersonal, and business interactions.

The program has a special focus on the study of facets of presentations, the attributes and issues associated with business communication, and communication within the context of management. Emphasis is placed on personal and professional characteristics of a person and their interrelationships, roles and official functions of top management. An essential topic is the study of advertising in the modern world, including the characteristics of modern advertising in the world and in the country where the language is studied.

The curricula also provide foundational background on the countries where the target language is used. Students examine major historical events and key figures; national, societal, and corporate/business cultures; social policy; and traditions that shape public life and professional practice. In addition, the syllabi require tracking current social, political, economic, and legal developments, reviewing social programs, and considering approaches to addressing contemporary social problems in the target-language context.

A further emphasis is the intercultural dimension of business communication. This covers the norms of professional conduct and etiquette, cross-cultural differences in business discourse, the obstacles to mutual understanding and collaboration among actors from distinct business and social cultures, and an outline of the key cultural dimensions that structure business and wider societal practices.

All of these elements indicate that the State University of Management has a clear goal of forming cultural identity as one of the components of the learning process. The University strives to form a competent personality who is able to carry out professional activities taking into account different cultures, understands his own culture and does not deny the existence of other cultures. Therefore, the State University of Management’s curricula can be regarded as aligned with contemporary standards and deliberately oriented toward the integrated study of language and culture.

Conclusion.

The evidence indicates that, in higher education, cultural identity underpins foreign-language instruction and supports the development of both language proficiency and intercultural competence. A review of scholarly approaches shows that cultural identity is conceived as the deliberate internalization of culturespecific norms, values, and behavioral patterns, together with a reflective capacity to position oneself in relation to these elements within a fluid, multicultural environment. It is not static – on the contrary, it is a dynamic education that develops under the infl uence of historical, social and globalization factors .

The study also confirms the timeliness of this agenda: in the wake of globalization, there is a growing demand for professionals who can do more than speak a foreign language – they must be able to interpret its cultural codes, traditions, and characteristic ways of thinking. Intercultural competence is therefore becoming central to professional preparation, while cultural identity provides the ethical and attitudinal foundation for a respectful, informed engagement with other cultural experiences.

Using the example of the State University of Management, it can be noted that its educational programs in the areas of 38.03.03 Personnel Management, 39.03.01 Sociology, 37.03.01

Psychology and 42.03.01 Advertising and Public Relations demonstrate a high level of compliance with modern requirements in the field of cultural component integration in foreign language teaching. A comparative analysis of work programs has shown that the university systematically implements an approach aimed at forming the cultural identity of students. The content of the disciplines includes topics related to personality, communication, ethics, national characteristics of behavior, business culture and intercultural interaction. Beyond advances in target-language mastery, learners develop:

• •    an enduring, securely grounded sense of cultural self-belonging,

• •    a steady, values-informed commitment to honoring cultural difference,

• •    transferable, practice-tested skills for navigating and contributing to intercultural exchanges across diverse international settings.

Taken together, these outcomes equip students to act with nuance and professionalism in diverse international settings.

State University of Management demonstrates an example of the practical implementation of a culture-oriented approach to teaching foreign languages. The University provides a methodological and substantive base that meets the goals of educating a person who is aware of his cultural identity and is ready for a dialogue of cultures. This integration of theoretical groundwork with practical solutions enriches the educational process – making it both deeper and more contextually relevant – and strengthens the global competitiveness of specialist training.

In closing, the study fulfilled its objectives. On the strength of our analysis, we position cultural identity as a cornerstone of effective foreign-language teaching and recommend elevating its deliberate, systematic cultivation to a strategic priority in higher-education policy and practice.

The findings also indicate that embedding a cultural dimension within language curricula fosters graduates who are holistic, responsible, and open-minded – equipped for intercultural collaboration and for professional growth in a globalized world.