Social adaptation features of Chinese students to online learning in a university

Abstract

The article presents the results of a search sociological study conducted in September-October 2023 on the problem of impact of online learning practices on the social adaptation of foreign students in a Russian university. The empirical objects were Chinese citizens studying at Lomonosov Moscow State University and currently located on the territory of Russia. In the research, the online questionnaire method provided answers to questions about the attitude of Chinese students to organisation of the educational process, to the practices of their interaction and communication in small study groups. It has been empirically proven that the attitude of Chinese students to any form of education depends on how much the issue of overcoming the language barrier and building intercultural communication has been resolved in a particular educational practice. At the same time, a positive attitude towards online learning is associated by Chinese students with the opportunity to study without having to stay in the territory of the Russian Federation, and a negative one is associated with communication problems, in particular, with the lack of direct communication with a teacher or supervisor. It was revealed that the most psychologically comfortable leaning forms for Chinese students are online classes. There is significant evidence of this category of students’ preference for a separate position, being inside their foreign cultural group and social circle. A more general project on the study of social well-being of students with special educational needs, has been specifically identified as a promising direction for the development of the research topic.