The role of Cultural Distance in the Adaptation of Arab Students to the Educational Environment of Russian Universities

Abstract

In the 21st century, many universities seek to internationalize their educational activities. The number of foreign students is one of the indicators of the university’s success in the market of global educational services. The success of education, in its turn, depends on the students’ socio-cultural adaptation in the host country. In this study, we used cultural distance as a predictor of socio-cultural adaptation for students from Arab countries. When cultural distance is high, immigrants find it more difficult to adapt to the new environment. We conducted a socio-psychological survey among first-, second-, and third-year students from Morocco, Syria, and Egypt receiving education at the universities of Perm, Moscow, Astrakhan, Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod, and St. Petersburg. Our study showed that cultural distance affects socio-cultural adaptation. It was the differences between Russian and Arab cultures in values, traditions, and appearance that affected the adaptation of Arab students in the Russian cultural environment. Our results can contribute to further research into the predictors of adaptation for foreign students. They can also be used to develop adaptation programs for Arab students studying not only in Russian universities, but worldwide.