FOREIGN STUDENTS’ ADAPTATION IN RUSSIAN UNIVERSITIES (IN CASE OF IRKUTSK NATIONAL RESEARCH TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY)
The article discusses the problems of foreign students’ adjusting to learning environment in Russian universities. The process of adaptation of foreign students in Russian universities is one of the most important problems that both the university administration and teachers have to solve. The number of foreign students in Russian universities is growing every year, and the adaptation issues require special consideration. The article discusses the results of a survey conducted among foreign students of Irkutsk National Research Technical University in which 114 students from the first to fifth year of study and Master’s Degree students from near- and far-abroad countries participated as respondents. The questionnaire includes 12 questions; the students were asked to select one or some answers to 11 questions and to give a detailed answer to the 12th question. The questions were structured so as to include all spheres of students’ life in Irkutsk, Russia. They related to reasons for choice of a place to study, their Russian language proficiency, the quality of training at INRTU, living conditions in the dormitory and food, extracurricular events, perception of Russia before and after arrival. The survey results reflected various factors: the countries the students came from, the standard of living there, the absence or presence of traditional ties with Russia, the ability to live independently. The article concludes with the discussion of measures to improve the conditions for foreign students’ adaptation. Keywords: a foreign student, University, society, process of adaptation