The influence of academic stereotypes of the Chinese educational system on the adaptation of students in higher education institutions of Ukraine

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Institute of international education for study and research

V.N. Karazin Kharkiv national university

The influence of academic stereotypes of the Chinese educational system on the adaptation of students in higher education institutions of Ukraine

Kopylova Olena Volodymyrivna,

assistant professor at the language training department

Titarenko Olena Oleksiivna,

PhD in philology, assistant professor at the language training department, institute of international education for study and research

Abstract

In the conditions of the internationalization of education and the growing interest of foreign applicants not only from Europe, but also from Asia, in particular from China, in the educational services of Ukraine, there is a need to increase the quality of training of specialists for foreign countries in Ukrainian institutions of higher education. In order to facilitate the integration of higher education applicant into a new educational environment for them, we consider it necessary for domestic teachers to consider the differences in the education systems of the student's country of origin and Ukraine. The article is devoted to the analysis of the role of national academic stereotypes in the organization of the educational process in a foreign language environment. In particular, the interaction of Chinese and Ukrainian academic stereotypes is studied, the most relevant universal components of this process are highlighted, which can contribute to the acceleration of the adaptation of foreign students to the education system in Ukraine.

The authors point out differences in the organization of the educational process in higher education institutions of China and Ukraine: in the use of hours for independent work of students, the attitude to control of knowledge, the academic calendar, the influence of grades on the term of study, etc. It is noted that students from China retain ethnic conditioning for a long time and are difficult to reorient to new educational strategies. It is emphasized that taking into account knowledge about national stereotypes in the education system of students will contribute to increasing the effectiveness of the organization of educational work in the system of personnel training for foreign countries.

Keywords: adaptation, foreign students, national academic stereotypes, a universal component of the educational process, the system of organizing educational activities in a higher education institution.

Анотація

Копилова Олена Володимирівна старший викладач кафедри мовної підготовки Навчально-наукового інституту міжнародної освіти, Харківський національний університет імені В.Н. Каразіна

Тітаренко Олена Олексіївна кандидат філологічних наук, старший викладач кафедри мовної підготовки Навчально-наукового інституту міжнародної освіти, Харківський національний університет імені В.Н. Каразіна

Вплив академічних стереотипів китайської системи навчання на адаптацію студентів у ЗВО України

В умовах інтернаціоналізації освіти та росту інтересу іноземних абітурієнтів не тільки з Європи, а й з Азії, зокрема з Китаю, до освітніх послуг України, постає необхідність підвищувати якість підготовки в українських закладах вищої освіти фахівців для зарубіжних країн. Задля полегшення інтеграції іноземних здобувачів вищої світи в нове для них навчальне середовище вважаємо за потрібне вітчизняним викладачам враховувати розходження в системах освіти країни походження студента та України. Статтю присвячено аналізу ролі національних академічних стереотипів в організації навчального процесу в іншомовному оточенні. Зокрема вивчається взаємодія китайських та українських академічних стереотипів, виділяються найбільш актуальні універсальні складові цього процесу, що можуть сприяти прискоренню адаптації іноземних студентів до системи навчання в Україні.

Авторами наведено розбіжності в організації навчального процесу у ЗВО Китаю та України: у використанні годин для самостійної роботи студентів, відношенні до контролю знань, академічному календарі, впливі оцінок на термін навчання та ін. Зазначено, що студенти з Китаю досить довго зберігають етнічну обумовленість та складно піддаються переорієнтуванню на нові навчальні стратегії. Наголошено, що врахування знань про національні стереотипи у системі освіти студентів сприятиме підвищенню ефективності організації навчальної роботи в системі підготовки кадрів для зарубіжних країн.

Ключові слова: адаптація, іноземні студенти, національні академічні стереотипи, універсальна складова навчального процесу, система організації навчальної діяльності у закладі вищої освіти.

Main part

Formulation of the problem. The process of internationalization of higher education makes obvious the fact that our country faces the question of joining the single European educational space. This step will give Ukraine the opportunity, on the one hand, to use the experience of academic integration acquired by Europe, and on the other hand, to contribute to the advancement of Ukrainian educational services not only on the European, but also on the world market. Our competitiveness in the field of education depends on a number of factors, the main ones of which, in our opinion, are the quality of the knowledge provided and the recognition of the Ukrainian diploma in other countries.

The state national program «Education (Ukraine of the 21st century)» defines the improvement of specialist training for foreign countries as one of the priority directions for strengthening and developing international relations in the field of education [1].

At the current stage, the importance of Ukraine's activities in the development of international cooperation in the field of education and training of national personnel for various countries of the world is increasing, it contributes to the deepening of mutual understanding and trust between countries and peoples, the intensive exchange of intellectual values, the spiritual enrichment of people, Ukraine's active participation in educational and scientific space of the world community. The training of foreign students in Ukraine, in addition to pedagogical, has political, economic and humanitarian aspects, the disclosure of which opportunities contributes to increasing the international influence of our country on world political and economic processes.

In recent years, the number of students from Asian countries, mainly from China, has been increasing in Ukraine. Getting into an unfamiliar cultural space, foreigners acutely feel the problems of internationalization, the need to communicate with speakers of different cultures, the problems of adapting to a new environment, to an unusual system of organizing educational activities in a higher education institution, that is, a complex process of socio-pedagogical adaptation of foreign students begins.

We believe that one of the significant «barriers» for foreign students is the difference in the education systems of the country of study and their homeland. Therefore, for a more effective organization of educational work in the system of personnel training for foreign countries, acceleration of the process of adaptation of foreign students in Ukraine, there is an urgent problem of studying the stereotypes of models of the organization of the educational process of those countries from which young people come to study in our country, in particular Chinese students, as well as is the purpose of this article.

The analysis of the latest researches and publications proves that the problem mentioned by us is studied fragmentarily in modern science. A lot of attention is paid to the issue of features of the Chinese education system in Janette Ryan's book «Education in China: Philosophy, Politics and Culture» [2]. The researcher analyzes the influence of the educational experience of the past, national traditions, historical events and ideological upbringing of students on modern trends in Chinese education. Cora Lingling Xu provides an interesting analysis of persistent perceptions of Chinese international students with a thorough review of English - and Chinese-language literature on the subject [3]. Cao C. and Meng Q. establish the relationship between the level of proficiency of Chinese students studying in non-English-speaking countries in English and local languages and social and academic adaptation [4]. S. Gal sees certain prospects in the introduction of certain elements of the Chinese experience in the reform of higher education in Ukraine [5]. M. Gagarin also analyzes the reforming activities of Chinese higher education institutions, as well as the problems of modern education in China and the peculiarities of the admissions campaign [6]. However, we did not find any fundamental studies devoted to the study of the influence of academic stereotypes of the Chinese education system on the adaptation of students in higher education institutions of Ukraine. Ukrainian pedagogical science pays little attention to the processes taking place in the Chinese education system. The relevance, theoretical significance and insufficient development of the problem led to the choice of the research topic of this article.

The subject of our research is the study of academic stereotypes of China when organizing the educational process in groups of students from this country in order to achieve the greatest efficiency in the education of a representative of a specific country and a specific academic culture. The factor of interaction of national academic stereotypes is considered by us as one of the aspects of intercultural communication, which contributes to the acceleration of adaptation of foreign students in Ukraine.

Presenting the main material. According to the Bologna Declaration, a careful attitude to national educational systems is possible only under the condition of a careful attitude to national cultures, since «the viability and effectiveness of any civilization is determined by its cultural achievements» [7, P. 10]. The education system of each country accumulates a unity of traditions, a system of values and behavior patterns characteristic of each ethnic group, because national education systems are one of the important components of the people's culture.

Peculiarities of national educational systems are revealed in models of the organization of the educational process, both in secondary and higher education. From childhood, a citizen of each country finds himself in the conditions of a certain education system that has developed under the influence of certain cultural traditions, and during his studies in secondary and higher school, he or she has a system of stable ideas about the organization of the educational process in his/her native country.

Common elements that are mandatory in the educational process of any national higher school are usually singled out:

- admission procedure to a higher education institution;

- the main structural unit of higher education institutions (faculty, branch, department);

- form of education at higher education institutions (full-time, part-time, distance);

- academic level of education (bachelor, master);

- student documentation (student card, record book, etc.);

- training program and conditions for its implementation (set of courses, optional courses, ratio of classroom classes and independent work);

- academic calendar (beginning / end of the academic year, semesters, sessions, vacations, holidays);

- class schedule (class duration / day / week, content of the schedule);

- form of classes (lecture, seminar, practical class, consultation, independent work);

- a form of control and evaluation of knowledge (control work, exam, credit, coursework).

The listed universals influence the formation of students' stereotypes of the organization of the educational process - national academic stereotypes, which can be attributed to behavior patterns, traditions, and the value system of each individual country. A representative of a certain culture, who became a student in another country, perceives the system of organizing the educational process in the higher education institution where he studies, through the prism of his national academic stereotype.

The experience of working with Chinese students shows that the most significant of the listed universal components of the organization of the educational process are the schedule and form of conducting classes, as well as the form of control and assessment of knowledge, because according to these positions, Ukrainian and Chinese academic stereotypes do not completely coincide. A partial inconsistency is observed in study programs and conditions for their implementation, in academic calendars.

The duration of a class at a Chinese university is 90 minutes, and the academic day includes both classroom and independent classes. For example, a student's day may consist of five 90-minute classes with a two-hour break between them. The number of study days per week is 5. In Ukrainian higher education institutions, the independent work of a foreign student is not part of the study day.

The content of the class schedule includes not only a list of disciplines and their time, as in a Ukrainian school, but it is mandatory to include concise information about the subject of the class, homework, tests, and extracurricular activities. The student receives such a schedule from each academic course.

In Chinese higher education, the knowledge control system is elaborately developed and very strict. The main form of control is written, regular control works (testing) are conducted in all disciplines. Each stage of training ends with a written exam or a test. Creative written works are practically not carried out. Course work is performed only in senior years. Knowledge is assessed on a 100-point scale at school, or on a scale from A to D (in higher education institutions), taking into account minuses and pluses.

The study program at any Chinese university consists of both compulsory and elective courses (two to four free electives that the student chooses). During the academic year, the student must earn a certain number of credit points in order for the university program to be considered completed. If a student scores the maximum number of points in all disciplines, his term of study at the higher education institution may be shortened. Public holidays are taken into account in the academic calendar of a higher educational institution of the People's Republic of China.

The choice of these components is due to the fact that in our research we mean the organization of classes on Ukrainian as a foreign language in the conditions of the language environment, and not the educational process as a whole. Since Ukrainian language classes occupy a special place in the study program of foreign students, to take into account the academic stereotype of China in Ukrainian language lessons, such universals as the procedure for admission to higher education institutions, the main structural unit and form of education, the academic level, and the preparation of student documentation are not relevant.

It is extremely important to create a favorable psychological atmosphere in Ukrainian language classes: the more effectively a student learns and assimilates the Ukrainian language, the better his adaptation in the country goes, the more confident he feels in classes in other disciplines. Acceleration of this process is facilitated, in our opinion, by taking into account the national academic stereotypes of the foreign student's home country.

As practice shows, taking this factor into account when creating a comfortable academic atmosphere for Chinese students increases the effectiveness of mastering Ukrainian.

Conclusion. Therefore, when organizing the educational process of the Ukrainian language for students from China, it is necessary to consider the following elements that correspond to the Chinese academic stereotype:

- complete information package during admission to institutions of higher education;

- 90-minute class for students of zero and initial level of Ukrainian language proficiency;

- planning independent classes in the classroom (computer class) under the supervision of the teacher;

- issuance of a class schedule and program plan to each student;

- systematic control (written control papers and written tests on all aspects every week);

- evaluation of written works from 5 to 2 points, taking into account pros and cons;

- conducting written credits and exams;

- registration of academic certificates according to the credit points system.

The consistent introduction of these components into the practice of the educational process for Chinese students is very important, because this contingent retains ethnic conditioning for a long time and is not easily reoriented to new educational strategies [8, Pp. 103-108].

According to the methodical tradition, the teaching of the Ukrainian language to foreigners in Ukrainian higher education institutions is carried out in accordance with the academic stereotypes of our country, since this condition assumes the presence of a local knowledge aspect and helps the adaptation of a foreign student in Ukraine. In our opinion, bearing in mind that students are very different within any culture, which is why it is important to avoid generalizations based on stereotypes, nevertheless, when teaching foreign students, it is necessary to take into account the interaction factor of national academic stereotypes as one of the aspects of intercultural communication, which is essential for effective foreign language learning.

References

education student national stereotype

1. Resolution on the State National Program «Education» (Ukraine of the 21st century). Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. (1996). Retrieved from https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/896-93-% D0% BF#Text [in Ukrainian].

2. Janette, Ryan. (2019). Education in China: Philosophy, Politics and Culture. Polity Press, Newark [in English].

3. Cora Lingling, Xu. (2022). Portraying the `Chinese international students': a review of English-language and Chinese-language literature on Chinese international students (20152020). Asia Pacific Education Review. 23 (1), pp. 151-167. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12564 - 021-09731-8 [in English].

4. Cao, C., Meng, Q. (2019). Mapping the paths from language pro-ficiency to adaptation for Chinese students in a non-Englishspeaking country: An integrative model of mediation. Current Psychology. 38 (6), pp. 1564-1575. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/ publication/356586455_Portraying_the_'Chinese_international_students'_a_review_of_English - language_and_Chinese-language_literature_on_Chinese_international_students_2015-2020 [in English].

5. Hala, S.V. (2012). System of higher education functioning in China: experience review. Aktualni problemy ekonomiky [Actual problems of the economy]. 9, pp. 72-77 [in Ukrainian].

6. Gagarin, M.I. (Ed.). Zarubizhna systema vyshchoi osvity [Foreign system of higher education]. (2017). Uman: VPTs «Vizavi», pp. 68-75 [in Ukrainian].

7. Lukychev, H.A. (2002). Bolonskijprocess - imperativ razvitiya evropejskogo vysshego obrazovaniya [The Bologna process is an imperative for the development of European higher education]. P. 10 [in Russian].

8. Kopylova, O.V. (2001). Urakhuvannia sotsiokulturnykh tradytsii pry navchanni kytaiskykh studentiv [Taking sociocultural traditions into account when teaching Chinese students]. Naukovi zapysky kafedry pedahohiky [Scientific notes of the department ofpedagogy]. Kharkiv: Osnova, VII, pp. 103-108 [in Ukrainian].

9. Rainbow Tsai-Hung, Chen, Sue, Bennett, Karl, Maton. (2008). The adaptation of Chinese international students to online flexible learning: Two case studies. Distance Education. 29 (3), pp. 307-323. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/01587910802395821 [in English].

Література

1. Постанова про Державну національну програму «Освіта» (Україна ХХІ століття). Верховна Рада України. 1996. Режим доступу: https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/896-93-%D0% BF#Text (дата звернення: 01 червня 2023).

2. Janette Ryan. Education in China: Philosophy, Politics and Culture. Polity Press, Newark, 2019. 208 p.

3. Cora Lingling Xu. Portraying the `Chinese international students': a review of English-language and Chinese-language literature on Chinese international students (2015-2020). Asia Pacific Education Review. 2022. 23 (1). Р. 151-167. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12564-021-09731-8.

4. Cao C., Meng Q. Mapping the paths from language pro-ficiency to adaptation for Chinese students in a non-Englishspeaking country: An integrative model of mediation. Current Psychology. 2019. 38 (6). P. 1564-1575. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/ 356586455_Portraying_the_'Chinese_international_students'_a_review_of_English-language_and_ Chinese-language_literature_on_Chinese_international_students_2015-2020 (accessed 08 January 2023).

5. Гала С.В. Функціонування системи вищої освіти Китаю: аналіз досвіду. Актуальні проблеми економіки. 2012. №9. С. 72-77.

6. Зарубіжна система вищої освіти: навч. посібн. / авт.-упоряд. М. І. Гагарін. Умань: ВПЦ «Візаві», 2017. С. 68-75.

7. Лукичев Г.А. Болонский процесс - императив развития европейского высшего образования. 2002. C. 10.

8. Копилова О.В. Урахування соціокультурних традицій при навчанні китайських студентів. Наукові записки кафедри педагогіки. Харків: Основа, 2001. Випуск VII. С. 103-108.

9. Rainbow Tsai-Hung Chen, Sue Bennett, Karl Maton. The adaptation of Chinese international students to online flexible learning: Two case studies. Distance Education. 2008. 29 (3). P. 307-323. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/01587910802395821.

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