S.B.Semenenko, I.R.Tynofiychuk, N.I.Voytkevich

Bukovinian State Medical University, Chernivtsi

ADJUSTMENT OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS TO UKRAINIAN SOCIAL-CULTURAL ENVIRONMENT AT BUKOVINIAN STATE MEDICAL UNIVERSITY

Mobility is an important qualitative peculiarity of European space, as it envisages human mobility between higher educational establishments and states. It is mobility and ability to get European diploma that attracts international students to higher educational establishments of Ukraine. The knowledge of English promotes the integration into European and world environment [1, 2].

The attractiveness of a certain educational establishment includes the following factors: quality and amount of tuition fee, cost of residence, availability of personal services, respect to European and world values, absence of national and religious conflicts, compliance with European educational standards [2, 3].

Creation of corresponding conditions requires highly qualified teaching staff, appropriate educational-technical and scientific-methodical base, enabling to train highly qualified specialists for their further employment and high rating in European environment [1, 3].

The objectives of the reforms in higher education of Ukraine are targeted at the integration into the world intellectual community with comparatively inexpensive higher education services. Due to this fact the number of international students in Ukraine has been increasing recently. Organization of educational process for international English-speaking students requires solving a number of questions both enumerated above and training of English-speaking personnel. One of the most important problems is an adjustment of a foreign student to a new surrounding [1, 5].

The work with international students is of a complicated character because of their variety in age, level of general initial training, cultural and religious differences, and motivation to get higher education. In this respect, the methods of upbringing, education and training applied for Ukrainian students are of no use for international ones. In addition to common educational problems, the modern society offers such negative temptations as smoking, drugs, alcohol, which can be transferred from the streets to hostels, a compact space, where students reside. The youth has become more independent, less connected with national traditions, more businesslike and inventive, inclined to unjustified risk and violation of behavior taught at home from their parents and countrymen [4].

While investigating the problem of adjustment of international students in Ukrainian society and in educational establishment in particular, we should consider the reality of their studying and residing in multinational environment (group-mates and room-mates). At Bukovinian State Medical University (BSMU) the groups are mostly mononational as Indian students constitute 74% of all the University international community. On the one hand, students feel naturally more comfortable in the group of their countrymen. On the other hand, success of adaptation depends much on the ability to contact and get on with people of different nationalities, as well as to communicate with them actively [6]. More than that, our examination gives the evidence in support of multinational groups, as they demonstrate higher educational progress.

Rich social life, active participation in University Students’ Government and various events – preparation of different holidays, festivals, scientific conferences, sport competitions – have a positive influence upon adaptation and emotional balance of international students. Annual celebrations of national holidays such as Republic Day of India (January 29), Independence Day of Nigeria (October 30), Independence Day of Ghana (March 6), Day of Medical Faculty № 3 (for international students), other national and religious holidays have become a good tradition at BSMU. They are regularly reported in mass media attracting ordinary people to foreigners and, thus, facilitating their adaptation into Ukrainian social-cultural society. Cultivation of friendly relations between representatives of different countries of the world is one of the main tasks of the tutors in international groups.

Geographical, economical, national, historical, cultural and religious factors should be considered as those influencing the system of education. In this respect an appropriate training of tutors and teachers is of an exceptional importance. They should be highly educated, many-sided individuals, with deep knowledge of their subjects as well as pedagogical and psychological sciences, and substantial level of the English language considering various ethnological peculiarities of their students [3, 6].

The above-stated facts are indicative of the necessity to create a number of adaptogenic wide-spectrum conditions for the optimization of adjustment of international students at higher school of Ukraine. Adjustment should be treated as a complex pedagogical program, and its success is determined by various parameters and criteria, enabling to improve the quality of education and achieve the best possible results.

Conclusions. To introduce international students into educational process the teachers and tutors should consider the following things: national, cultural, religious and social belongings; encouragement and awaking interest of students; formation of their cognitive ability. Individual qualities and characteristics of students should also be taken into account, as they are defined by their national environment. Thus, adjustment should be considered as a complex program, its success is determined by many parameters and criteria, and its implementation will improve the quality of education of international students and enable them to get appropriate professional qualification.

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