CROSS-CULTURAL COMMUNICATION IN THE SPHERE OF HIGHER EDUCATION
Keywords:
intercultural communication, academic mobility, classification of cultures, acculturation stress, intercultural transitionAbstract
The article analyzes the characteristics of intercultural communication, in particular, among students enrolled in academic mobility programs. It is proved that academic mobility programs have positive features, including mastering a foreign language, acquiring intercultural experience and intercultural competence, along with the negative ones, such as challenges with academic adaptation, acculturation stress, problems with self-identification. This issue is examined through the prism of the theory of the classification of cultures and the identity of the students finding themselves in a foreign language environment. The author studies the interdependence of such phenomena as language, culture and identity and how they are reflected in the process of teaching students abroad. Attention is paid to the national picture of the world, which is affected at the cognitive level through acculturation stress. The article considers the mechanism of intercultural transition, which, on the one hand, includes experiencing stress and coping with stress, and, on the other hand, the study of culture and the acquisition of cultural-specific skills. Problems with the initial adaptation during the intercultural transition lead to a steady improvement and end up with students learning the culture-specific skills necessary for functioning in the new environment. Psychological problems the students experience are associated primarily with language and language barriers, as well as with academic difficulties and problems in the social sphere. It is argued that an insufficiently high level of proficiency in a foreign language affects the effectiveness of education, makes the academic performance of students much lower than in their home country. This, in turn, causes a shift in the focus of attention from the academic sphere towards self-determination and the search for one’s own identity. Stress caused by social and cultural adaptation is inevitable, therefore, students studying in another country should not only master a foreign language, but also develop flexible thinking and the ability to adapt to new living conditions. Readiness for challenges is the key forstudents'effective adaptation to the language and culture of another country.
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