PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY RECONSTRUCTION OF CHINESE TEACHERS OF RUSSIAN IN CHINESE-RUSSIAN JOINT EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS IN THE AGE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

Abstract

The study examines how the professional identity of Chinese teachers of Russian is being reconstructed as artificial intelligence enters language education within Chinese-Russian joint educational programs operating under the “2+2” model. Drawing on Cultural-Historical Activity Theory and the concept of expansive learning, the research is based on semi-structured interviews with ten teachers at the Joint Engineering Institute of SPbPU – JSNU, complemented by classroom observations and the analysis of teaching documentation. The findings indicate that the integration of AI triggers contradictions at four levels of the teaching activity system, extending from instructional content to assessment practices; the identity crisis experienced by teachers is shown to stem from these structural tensions rather than from insufficient technological skills alone. In the “2+2” context, identity reconstruction is organized around students’ staged progression from zero-beginner Russian to Russian for specific purposes and advances through the adoption of AI tools, the design of AI-mediated instruction, and the cultivation of students’ thinking, resulting in a layered composite identity. Practical recommendations are offered for teacher professional development, university management, and regulatory design.