INTEGRATION OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS INTO THE STUDENT COMMUNITY OF A FOREIGN UNIVERSITY: PHILOSOPHICAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PEDAGOGICAL ASPECTS

Abstract

Russia’s expanding contacts with the countries of the Global South in the field of education have resulted in an influx of international students to Russian universities. The effectiveness of their studies largely depends on successful adaptation to the conditions of the new education system and integration into the student community. The determined the relevance of the article. The article aims at identifying the essential characteristics of international students’ integration into the student community of a Russian university. The paper uses methods of comparative analysis and synthesis, generalization of scientific and pedagogical literature on the research topic. The authors present philosophical, psychological and pedagogical views on the concept “integration”; show the specifics of the concept “student community” and its three-tier structure, give a definition of the concept “integration of foreign students into the student community of a Russian university”, and demonstrate the importance of pedagogical support in the organization and coordination of the student community. Research results expand our understanding of the adaptation and integration processes of international students in the educational environment of a Russian university and can be used in developing practical recommendations for working with international students.