Structures of Chinese Students Interactions in Universities of the Far Eastern Federal District of The Russian Federation: Educational and Leisure Space

Abstract

The article analyzes the everyday communication of Chinese students in the Far East of the Russian Federation. The empirical data are based on two studies conducted by the staff of the Institute of the East, Higher Education Research Institute of Harbin Institute of Technology and the Interdepartmental sociological laboratory of The Institute of Finances and Economics of North-Eastern Federal University in 2017 and 2019. The methodological approach of the research, based on the theory of social space, allows us to conventionally distinguish the educational field and types of neighborhood subfields. As a structure of such fields of everyday communication in a foreign ethnic environment, the following are identified: the duration of students’ stay depending on educational programs, the level of Russian language proficiency, place of residence, roommates in a dormitory, the level of material well-being of the students’ family. Of course, it is by no means denied that the main tone in the life of students is set by the cognitive environment of the learning process. The data obtained make it possible to conditionally distinguish three types of neighborhoodhousehold subfields in the everyday extra-curricular life of students: the first can be attributed to students living with their compatriots, some of whom, having quickly adapted to local conditions, may experience difficulties in mastering the Russian language, respectively, and in general in study. The second type may include respondents who have expressed a desire to live with representatives of the local student community for closer contact with them in order to better master the Russian language. Of course, they experience difficulties at the initial stage of adaptation, which can then be compensated for by the achievement of the set goal, good command of the Russian language, the establishment of friendly relations, not only with roommates, etc. The third type can be formed by those who initially have mastered the Russian language at a sufficient level, who can communicate and study in Russia without any problems. They can live both with their fellow countrymen and with Russian students. It is necessary to urgently transfer this painted part of the Annotation.