Formation of Students’ Intercultural Awareness when Teaching Russian as a Foreign Language

The relevance of the research is determined by the fact that intercultural communication in the current conditions is becoming more important than ever, and it requires two types of competence from younger generation: linguistic and socio-cultural competence. Improving the intercultural awareness of students is a key factor in the development of their socio-cultural competence, and it significantly changes the very nature of intercultural communication.

Aim. To present a systematic description of the concept of intercultural awareness formation, which encourages students to become proficient in a foreign language in educational, cognitive, developmental and pedagogic aspects.

The research methods were: analysis, synthesis, systematization, generalization of the results.

The scientific novelty / theoretical and/or practical significance. The research presents the concept of fostering students’ intercultural awareness as an innovative approach to teaching Russian as a major to Chinese students. The results of this research are already being applied in the classes with students in the teaching of Russian language at the Xi’an Petroleum University in lectures, educational programs, teaching aids and textbooks.

Results. The paper shows that intercultural awareness is one of the criteria for successful teaching of a foreign language, and it should be purposefully cultivated in the learning process.

Conclusion. The principles of introducing culture components in teaching Russian as a foreign language for intercultural awareness development are proposed. Factors related to social values, factors of the language environment and non-verbal factors linked with communicators in the development of cultural awareness of students are emphasized. The approaches to the planning of a foreign language lesson are shown. The paper offers methods of forming intercultural awareness in teaching Russian as a foreign language.

1. Adilova F. M. [Linguoculturology as an important component of every nation]. In: Nauka i obrazovanie segodnya [Science and education today], 2019, no. 1, pp. 58–60.

2. Wang Xinyue, Garmaeva T. I., Karymshakova T. G. [Linguoculturological competence and its role in foreign students teaching]. In: Stolypinskij vestnik [Stolypinsky bulletin], 2023, no. 6, pp. 3215–3222.

3. Gazaeva L. V., Elkanov K. R. [Problems of teaching Russian language and literature in a multicultural environment]. In: Problemy sovremennogo pedagogicheskogo obrazovaniya [Problems of modern pedagogical education], 2020, no. 1, pp. 132–137.

4. Gerasimenko T. L., Ermolaeva M. E. [Psycholinguistic features of teaching IT students a professionally oriented foreign (English) language]. In: Problemy sovremennogo pedagogicheskogo obrazovaniya [Problems of modern pedagogical education], 2022, no. 1, pp. 60–63.

5. Gorina V. A. [The mechanism of cross-language transfer in the process of acquiring communicative competence in a second foreign language]. In: Vestnik Moskovskogo gosudarstvennogo lingvisticheskogo universiteta. Obrazovanie i pedagogicheskie nauki [Bulletin of the Moscow State Linguistic University. Education and pedagogical sciences], 2020, no. 2, pp. 24–38.

6. Kolobova L. V. [Multicultural education as a pedagogical phenomenon]. In: Vestnik Orenburgskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta [Bulletin of Orenburg State University], 2006, no. 2, pp. 28–32.

7. Krenska N. [On the issue of intercultural cummunication and cultural differences while teaching foreign languages]. In: Vestnik Rossijskogo universiteta druzhby narodov. Seriya: Russkij i inostrannyj yazyki i metodika ih prepodavaniya [Russian Language Studies], 2008, no. 3, pp. 10–15.

8. Lerner I. Ya. Didakticheskie osnovy metodov obucheniya [Didactic foundations of teaching methods]. Moscow, Pedagogika Publ., 1981. 186 p.

9. Mejer M. [Development of transcultural competence: case studies of advanced language learners]. In: Oposreduyushchie yazyki i kul’tury: na puti k mezhkul’turnoj teorii obucheniya inostrannomu yazyku [Mediating languages and cultures: towards an intercultural theory of foreign language teaching]. Klevedon, Voprosy mnogoyazychiya Publ., 1991, pp. 136–158.

10. Pepelyaeva E. A., Popova O. A. [The peculiarities of teaching the Russian language as a language of specialty to foreign students]. In: Filologicheskie nauki. Voprosy teorii i praktiki [Philology. Theory & Practice], 2017, no. 6 (72), pp. 203–205.

11. Popp A. V. [Some features of the communicative and activity approach to foreign language teaching in the framework of the development of students’ speech]. In: Inostrannye yazyki v kontekste mezhkul’turnoj kommunikacii [Foreign languages in the context of intercultural communication], 2021, no. 1, pp. 319–326.

12. Radzhabova R. V. [Psycholinguistic approach to increasing the effectiveness of teaching foreign language]. In: Nauchnyj zhurnal [Scientific journal], 2019, no. 6, pp. 71–72.

13. Sanzhina D. D. [Language and culture]. In: Uchyonye zapiski Zabajkal’skogo gosudarstvennogo gumanitarno-pedagogicheskogo universiteta. Seriya: Pedagogicheskie nauki [Scientific notes of the Transbaikal State Humanitarian and Pedagogical University. Series: Pedagogical sciences], 2012, no. 2, pp. 208–212.

14. Seit-Asan F. E. [The importance of culture in teaching a foreign language]. In: Filologicheskie nauki [Philological Sciences], 2018, no. 3, pp. 23–26.

15. Starceva E. G., Shchepilova A. V., Tarev B. V. [Intercultural content of foreign language textbooks: concept, texts, practices]. In: XLinguae, 2017, vol. 10, no. 3, pp. 246–255.

16. Tomahin G. D. [From regional studies to background knowledge of native speakers and nationalcultural semantics of linguistic units in their linguistic consciousness]. In: Russkij yazyk za rubezhom [Russian language abroad], 1995, no. 1, pp. 54–58.

17. Turbina E. P. [The role of cultural approach in the process of teaching foreign languages]. In: Vestnik Shadrinskogo gosudarstvennogo pedagogicheskogo universiteta [Journal of Shadrinsk State Pedagogical University], 2018, no. 1, pp. 111–116.

18. Shumilova E. A. Osnovy social’no-kommunikativnoj kompetentnosti [Fundamentals of social and communicative competence]. Chelyabinsk, Ditrih Publ., 2011. 258 p.

19. Yan Lyu. [The connection between language and culture in teaching RFL]. In: Simvol nauki [Symbol of Science], 2018, no. 11, pp. 55–56.

20. Abercrombie D. Elements of general phonetics. Edinburgh, Edinburgh University Press, 1967. 203 p.