THE UNIVERSITY'S WEBSITE AS A CHANNEL FOR THE IMPACT OF SOFT POWER ON INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS FROM CENTRAL ASIAN COUNTRIES

Abstract

The processes of globalization contribute to the increase of educational migration. Attracting international students is one of the opportunities for host countries to enhance their influence in certain regions. Central Asian countries have historically and politically been close to Russia and now remain in the sphere of its political and economic interests. Meanwhile, such players as the European Union, USA, Japan are active in this region. Also, countries like Kazakhstan, China, South Korea seek to strengthen their influence, thus they become competitors to Russia in Central Asia. In 2017, the share of students from Central Asia among foreign students was 56% in state universities of Russia, in non-state universities it was 63%. At the same time, the share of students from these countries was growing in universities in Kazakhstan, China and South Korea. These countries, being active in the educational market and using the tools of soft power, spread their own values and create positive images amongst the younger generation from several countries of Central Asia. According to research, when promoting universities in the international environment, one of the most effective communication channel is the website of the university. It is the website that in most cases functions as first contact in the interaction of students with the university. In addition, the website provides information about the features and benefits of the university in its most concentrated form and demonstrates its positioning. The authors intend to analyze websites as a communication channel for universities. They investigate the representation through the website of institutional and non-institutional aspects of soft power of the university and the country in terms of its impact on foreign students from Central Asia when choosing a country and a university to study at. The authors of the article conducted a comparative analysis of the sites of universities in Russia, Kazakhstan, China and South Korea (N=20), with the largest number of foreign students. We have taken a thorough look at the potential of universities’ websites as a communication channel in attracting foreign students from Central Asia, using the theory of soft power.