Russian As A Foreign Language Research Articles

Culture in Russian as a foreign language (RFL) textbooks in Italian universities: Critically analyzing concepts of culture and intercultural competence

This paper examined the representation of culture in Russian as a foreign language (RFL) textbooks to understand the problem of creating a theory of intercultural textbooks, with Italy as a case study. The four most popular RFL textbooks used by first-year students in Italian universities were studied: Poyekhali, Molodets, Mir tesen, and Davayte. A comparative content analysis of the chosen sample was performed to test how Russian culture is represented in RFL textbooks. The results reveal that such textbooks reflect only a partial and sometimes stereotypical image of Russian culture, with a strong correlation between ideologies and bias derived from RFL theories and textbook creation. In other words, these textbooks convey essentialist and/or reductionist views of the culture of Russia (e.g., poor attention paid to the Russophone dimension, stereotypes, and lack of opportunities for intercultural dialogue). The cultural topics contained in the textbooks evaluated do not quite contribute but rather hinder the formation of students' intercultural communicative competence. Therefore, it is argued that the content of an RFL textbook should help students create complex, multilayered notions of Russian and Russophone cultures for themselves.

Cultural texts and intercultural competence in Russian as a foreign language lessons for medical-biological students

The aim of the research is to demonstrate the significance of using texts of cultural content in Russian as a foreign language (RFL) lessons. The subject of the article is the texts about the Russian scientists M.V. Lomonosov and I.P. Pavlov, extracted from basic RFL textbooks for students of a medical-biological profile in higher education. The authors of the article focus on the process of intercultural communication, which contributes to the formation of linguistic and cultural competence among foreign students in RFL lessons. The role of these texts in the formation of students' sociocultural competence is analyzed. The methodology of the work includes comprehensive hermeneutic analysis of texts of cultural content dedicated to the activities of Russian scientists Lomonosov and Pavlov, using biographical commentary and historical context. The results of the research show that the proposed teaching techniques in the context of intercultural learning contribute to the effectiveness of language learning.

Современные средства обучения русскому языку как иностранному

In the modern system of teaching RFL, an important role is given to teaching aids, tools of the educational process, ensuring the achievement of the main goal of teaching RFL – the formation of communicative competence among students. The purpose of this article is to analyze modern means of teaching RFL, assessing their effectiveness and illustrating their use in the process of teaching the disciplines “Russian Verb” to 1st-year undergraduates, “Modern means of teaching RFL” to 2nd-year undergraduates studying in the field of “Philology” (profile “Theory and practice of teaching RFL (Russian as a foreign language)”; discipline “General Proficiency” to 3rd year bachelor students of the Faculty of Philology (profile “Russian Language and Literature”) at the University of Moscow State University-PPI in Shenzhen. In the course of study, methods of observation, description, and classification were used. During the research it was established that in the modern methods of teaching RFL, the role of teaching tools increases significantly due to modern information and communication resources, Internet technologies and digital educational resources. The most relevant teaching aids have been identified and characterized (communicative RFL textbooks, information and communication tools, including university electronic libraries, the university information learning environment Moodle, electronic textbooks, corpus resources; audiovisual tools, including modern visualization techniques, etc.), their use has been illustrated in the practice of teaching various philological disciplines to Chinese philology students. It has been established that the use of the latest various teaching tools ensures the maximum inclusion of each student in the educational process, a person-oriented approach to students, the development of practical skills, an increase in the share of student independence, the development of students’ skills in setting and solving cognitive problems, structuring information flows, and applying practice of acquired knowledge, etc.

Cultural Footprint. Rich Personality of the Teacher as a Factor of the Development of Scientific Schooling

Between November 1st to 2nd, 2023 the Faculty of Philology of Moscow State University held a scientific and methodological seminar Linguodidactic description of the Russian language in the “mirror” of foreign language systems, dedicated to the 95th anniversary of the birth of Professor M. V. Vsevolodova and her scientific heritage. An outstanding scientist, Doctor of Philology, Honored Professor of Moscow State University, Honorary Professor of the Shanghai University of Foreign Languages, Maya Vladimirovna Vsevolodova was at the origins of the creation of one of the most important applied areas in Russian studies — Russian as a foreign language (RFL). She was one of the founders of the linguodidactic scientific school in the field of RFL, as well as in the field of functional communicative grammar. The seminar was attended by famous scientists (E. L. Barkhudarova, L. P. Klobukova, A. V. Velichko, V. V. Krasnykh) and young teachers from different universities of Russia (Kazan Federal University, Vladivostok State University, etc.). Over two days of work, seminar participants listened to 35 reports. Most of the reports were devoted to the personality of Maya Vladimirovna along with her scientific and teaching activities. In his opening address Professor A. A. Lipgart called the seminar an important scientific event and wished the participants interesting creative reports. On the first day of the seminar O. V. Chagina and L. P. Klobukova spoke of the unique personality, intellect, and work of Maya Vladimirovna. E. L. Barkhudarova devoted her report to Vsevolodova’s textbook of Russian phonetics for Polish speakers, a model of a nationally oriented pronunciation course. On the second day of the seminar there were two sections — Grammar and Cultural Studies. The work of both was opened by reports from teachers of the Russian Language Department of the MGIMO University. N. D. Afanasyeva, in her report, emphasized the importance of considering the characteristics of the national mentality of students, the need not only to give students knowledge about the Russian language as a system, but also to include them in Russianlanguage communication. The presentation contained many striking examples, which aroused great interest among the audience. T. L. Borisenko shared her experience of teaching verb types in the RFL practical grammar course. As on the first day of the seminar, on November 2nd, some of the reports were of a memorial nature and were dedicated directly to the personality of Maya Vladimirovna. The cultural significance of the work of Maya Vladimirovna Vsevolodova, the creator of a scientific school, a wonderful scientist and wise mentor who raised more than one generation of Russian scholars, goes beyond her time: her students continue her work today in different parts of the world.

The dark sides of an intercultural-based teaching of RFL: A critical approach

This article aims to analyze the topic of culture and intercultural communicative competence (ICC) in Russian as a foreign language (RFL) at an academic level. The work offers a critical overview of the main relevant studies in the Russian language on RFL and ICC from 2008 to 2022. The findings show that even the most recent research (in the wake of lingvostranovedeniye and lingvokul’turologiya) still leans on an ambiguous, essentialized, and nationalistic idea of ‘culture’. Finally, through a critical reinterpretation of intercultural dialogue, the author provides a first insight into some new perspectives on RFL teaching.

Параметры эффективного SPOC по русскому языку как иностранному и урока как структурной единицы онлайн-курса в контексте разработки «золотого фонда» ресурсов китайского образовательного пространства

The aim of the study is to identify the optimal parameters of the open online course (SPOC) “Basic Russian” and a lesson as its structural unit in relation to the conditions of Russian as a foreign language (RFL) hybrid teaching in a Chinese university. The paper briefly outlines the features of the higher education reform in China due to the development of society digitalization and the introduction of the concept of creating a national base of high-quality educational resources. As exemplified by analyzing the experience of implementing the specific SPOC in Russian as a foreign language (levels A1-A2), an attempt is made to describe the most important characteristics of the SPOC and the lessons included in this online course, to justify the expediency of identifying parameters that determine the effectiveness of the online course in general and individual lessons in particular. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the fact that a set of certain parameters has been formulated and substantiated. Based on these parameters, it is possible to assess the effectiveness of the RFL SPOC as a whole, as well as its structural components, i.e. lessons, and their potential in the organization of hybrid learning. As a result of the study, the specifics of RFL hybrid learning in the conditions of a Chinese university have been determined. It has been proved that the optimal parameters of the online RFL course and each lesson as its structural unit include: 1) the variety of means of involving students in educational activities presented in each lesson of the online course and the degree of their effectiveness; 2) the depth and diversity of the content of each lesson of the online course, as well as the clear structuring of the course in general and its structural components in particular; 3) the correlation of the course content with traditional textbooks and programs; 4) the presence of intellectually stimulating and/or advanced content and expanded task banks to ensure individualization of learning; 5) a parameter that determines the characteristics of the assessment system and the forms of reflexive response for students in each lesson.

A New Intercultural Model for Teaching Russian as a Foreign Language at European Level

This paper presents a new experimental intercultural theoretical and operative model for RFL (Russian as a Foreign Language) teaching at European level: the RETEACH model. As a descriptive–normative didactic model, RETEACH builds on the intercultural approach, seeking to foster the development of intercultural communicative competence (ICC) among students. RETEACH promotes respect, understanding, and solidarity among individuals and encourages critical awareness of various issues, such as multiple identities, fuzzy cultural borders, power-related intercultural dynamics, and avoidance of stereotyped representations. The model is grounded in three specific concepts and areas within the foreign language and RFL fields: 1) the use of authentic texts, 2) the role of literature, and 3) textbook theory. The model was tested through two case studies, which investigated the place of culture in RFL classes in Lithuania and Italy (Case Study 1) and in RFL textbooks employed in Italy (Case Study 2). Three different research methods were employed: action research, classroom observation, and comparative content analysis. The findings indicate that the proposed model can boost the development of ICC in RFL learners, thus addressing some general issues with RFL teaching in the European context. There are several theoretical and practical implications of the RETEACH model: 1) combining RFL theory and practice, 2) improving the intercultural approach due to the use of authentic materials, 3) enabling the use of Russian literature to develop ICC, and 4) promoting a complex and critical image of Russia.

Развитие аудитивных умений при обучении русскому языку студентов-иностранцев из стран Азиатско-Тихоокеанского региона

The aim of the study is to determine the specifics of organising the educational process for auditory skills formation among students from the countries of the Asia-Pacific region when teaching Russian as a foreign language (RFL), taking into account the main difficulties arising due to the ethno-cultural differences and national characteristics of the students’ mental and speech system. The paper sheds light on and clarifies the theoretical and practical issues of listening skills formation in the framework of RFL teaching at the elementary level (A1), describes a number of linguistic and extralinguistic problems specific to this student body. The scientific novelty of the study consists in clarifying the scientific ideas about modern methods of listening skills formation in the framework of RFL teaching, as well as in identifying the psychological and pedagogical features of students from the countries of the Asia-Pacific region that influence the process of formation of their auditory skills. As a result, it has been proved that in order to intensify the process of RFL teaching and particularly listening, an integrated approach is needed that takes into account students’ national and cultural characteristics and the peculiarities of their native languages. Based on the summarisation of the authors’ practical experience, a system of tasks aimed at auditory skills development among students from the countries of the Asia-Pacific region has been presented, the selection of audio material with an emphasis on exercises for practicing speech hearing, memory, articulation has been justified.

Task Stratification and Differentiation Strategies for Partially Sighted and Dyslexic Learners in Textbooks of Russian as a Foreign Language: An Italian Case Study of Non-Inclusive Learning/Teaching

This paper aims to analyze six of the most popular textbooks for Russian as a foreign language (RFL) for adolescent and adult learners used in Italy, namely Reportazh, Russkiy klass, Molodets, Davayte, Poyekhali, and Ura, to see whether and how task stratification and differentiation strategies are put in place for partially sighted (PS) and dyslexic (D) learners. Through a comparative content analysis, it is shown that there is a total lack of educational design aimed at the inclusion of PS and D learners in the Italian context. This may be due to the greater presence in such textbooks of traditional RFL views, which generally do not prioritize inclusion, as well as to carelessness toward the contributions of Italian-based glottodidactics, which, in contrast, is very attentive to inclusion issues, even for languages other than Russian. Finally, some suggestions are given, accompanied by practical examples, for enhancing the inclusivity of these textbooks.

Colloquial Russian between theory and practice: what is claimed and what is real?

This paper presents an extensive review of the research literature on Colloquial Russian (CR) in the past 50 years with an extra focus on the teaching of Russian as a foreign language (RFL). First, using Zemskaja’s understanding of russkaja razgovornaja reč’ (1973, 1979, 1987, 2011, 2016), the article offers an overview of CR’s linguistic features and, second, it looks at the recommendations issued in the literature as to whether and when colloquial peculiarities should be taught—be it for receptive or productive communicative competence. Third, the paper presents the results of an empirical study, which was conducted to show how linguists, Russian instructors and teachers in German-speaking countries treat CR in their lectures and seminars on Russian linguistics as well as in secondary RFL classes and where their preferences lie. Based on the findings from this survey, the article then addresses what researchers preach and what practitioners teach and makes suggestions on how to narrow the gap between theory and practice, claim and reality.

ВЗГЛЯД ИЗ КИТАЯ НА НЕКОТОРЫЕ ТЕНДЕНЦИИ В МЕТОДИКЕ ОБУЧЕНИЯ РКИ ПОСЛЕДНИХ ЛЕТ

The article is devoted to the description of some trends in recent years in the development of the methodology of teaching Russian as a foreign language (RFL). It provides an overview of the socio-cultural reasons that contributed to the strengthening of the communicative orientation of RFL training, the rapid development of distance learning in the context of digitalization of education. During the analysis of the works, a scientific generalization was made and a description of some trends in the field of RFL methodology was proposed. Among them are the increased focus on teaching Russian as a foreign language as a means of communication, the active use of new tools in teaching RCT in connection with the digitalization of education; the increased influence of linguoculturology on the teaching methodology of RFL. Russian Linguistics The article presents current sources of scientific and educational literature, which are useful for improving communicative and cultural competencies, deepening knowledge in the field of Russian linguoculturology in the audience of Chinese students studying Russian.. The article briefly presents innovations in teaching the Russian language that have been used in China in recent years and have a positive effect during training. Russian as a foreign language is of great importance in improving the quality of teaching Russian as a foreign language in China (in conditions outside the Russian language environment), promotes the exchange of experience, promotion of strategic partnership and cooperation in the humanities between Russia and China, including with the aim of expanding mutually beneficial exchanges in the field of higher education.

Опыт создания и использования лингвострановедческих материалов по русскому языку как иностранному (на примере проекта «MULTI_Saratov»)

Based on the study conducted by the Department of the Russian Language, Speech Communication and Russian as a Foreign Language, Saratov State University, the possibilities of using linguistic and cultural video materials in the practical aspect of teaching Russian as a foreign language (RFL) are revealed. It is noted that the regional and local materials provide students’ immersion in the cultural and historical environment and facilitate the process of their adaptation. The authors describe the stages of the project implementation, which include: conducting a course of offline and online excursions with the themes of the historical and cultural past of Saratov; creating small video clips adapted for foreign students based on these tours; designing worksheets accompanying each video. When describing the process of creating videos, special attention is paid to ways of adapting the material for students whose Russian is at the B1 level. The choice of the level is due to the fact that B1 is required for admission to Russian universities for undergraduate programs. The article also discusses the principles of developing worksheets containing transcripts of videos, lexical and grammatical information, as well as tasks for its consolidation. The authors believe that such a training kit, firstly, introduces students to the history and culture of Saratov, and, secondly, it promotes the formation and development of communicative competence.

Essential Problems of Teaching a Foreign Language in Modern School

AbstractCurrently, there is a topical conversation about the search for new pedagogical technologies, methods, and teaching aids, which will contain updated content and special studies.In our article, we will talk about the problems of teaching Russian as a foreign language (RFL) in Georgian schools. Let us dwell inmore detail on manuals and programs in English for senior classes, which, unfortunately, in themselves do not give quite positiveresults. Sometimes it occurs that the purpose of learning foreign languages is to teach freely focused on a foreign language environment and the ability to adequately respond to various manifestations, that is, to communicate freely.Let's talk about the main goal of teaching foreign languages, which is the formation and development of a student's communicative culture, teaching practical knowledge of foreign languages.

Authentic video materials as a means of shaping communicative competence in Russian among Spanish and Dutch learners

Teaching Russian as a foreign language (RFL) without immersion into a natural language environment presents a particular challenge and requires modern methods to deve-lop basic communicative and linguistic competencies of the students. While teaching listening at the first stage of learning a foreign language, an active use of authentic materials plays an important role as one of the major requirements of the communicative approach. The relevance of the present topic consists in the need of developing listening skills at the early stage of studying RFL and optimizing the work of students as independent learners. The aim of the study was to develop a set of video exercises for A0 level, aimed at improving the communicative competence of students, their knowledge of cultural norms and speech etiquette. To achieve this aim,a set of methodological methods has been used: a task modeling method, a comparative method and observation. The complete set of exercises was tested in groups of students aged 20-45, learning Russian as a foreign language at beginner’s level at two language centers, in Spain and in the Netherlands. Exercises with video fragments were divided into six units and were designed to practice the use of some grammar forms and lexical units (verbs belonging to the first and second conjugation type, prepositions в/на (in, on), accusative and prepositional cases).For independent work, students were asked to complete the preparatory and main stages of each unit. The final stage, as a control stage, was carried out in the classroom with a teacher to activate the structures heard in listening, analyze and discuss the video material. The results ofthe study show that the use of authentic materials improves listening, brings the educational process as close as possible to the situation of real live communication, motivates students and helps them to master the new grammatical and lexical units. There were no significant differences observed in the results of the final task on listening in Spanish and Dutch groups. The errors have to do with an increased speed of utterance, voice overlapping, children's speech, that will be taken into account for the further development of listening exercises for A0 level students and publishing a full set of exercises for RFL learners and teachers.

Actual Tasks of Teaching Russian as a Foreign Language

The article is devoted to the analysis of current tasks of modern linguodidactics in the sphere of teaching Russian as a foreign language (RaFL). As the main directions of its further improvement the author indicates effective systematization of speech material, adjustment of the linguistic component of training courses and coordination of educational resources, as well as enrichment of the content of the training base. Speech skills are an important component of the content of teaching Russian as a foreign language. In the process of mastering Russian, it is difficult for foreigners to differentiate speech patterns in accordance with different communication situations. Therefore, a condition of effective learning is the systematization of functionally authentic speech material, in other words the creation of a communicative fund. The author offers an effective method of speech means systematization which fully corresponds to the objectives of language teaching practice and is based on the consecutive description of communicative-pragmatic complexes. Communicative-pragmatic complex is understood as a block, combining speech acts similar in function with the corresponding intentions, communicative situations and speech models. When describing consistently systematically, the complex covers all basic stereotypical situations, in which a typical intention in speech practice is realized. As a rule, the communicative-pragmatic complex combines three or four typical communicative situations, reflecting the real communication in Russian. The article also emphasizes the need for a stricter alignment of lexical minimums with the norms of the corresponding levels of Russian language proficiency, the need to include more interesting texts about modern Russia, to show the attractive features of modern Russians - interest in education, sports, travel, healthy lifestyles, outdoor recreation, festivals of student songs, bard songs, etc.

«Уроки выходного дня» как методический прием формирования умений устной речи на русском языке иностранных студентов в рамках ситуативно-обусловленного латентного обучения

The aim of the study is to show the expediency of using a situated approach to teaching Russian as a foreign language (RFL) to foreign students in conditions of latent learning. The paper is the result of a thorough understanding of the practical experience of RFL teaching at the preparatory faculty of the Udmurt State University. The paper analyses the types of speech situations and educational speech situations in terms of the advantages and disadvantages of using them in the educational process; considers the issue of a successful use of situated learning in RFL teaching. Main attention is focused on the possibility of implementing situated learning in real communication in a latent, covert, implicit manner. Scientific novelty of the study lies in developing the methodological technique “Weekend Lessons” in order to form oral speech skills among preparatory faculty students. As a result, the main levels of speaking skills formation using the methodological technique “Weekend Lessons”, the stages of implementation of the specified methodological technique have been characterised, recommendations for its further application in the practice of RFL teaching have been provided.

Экспериментальное исследование ошибок произношения русских гласных у китайских студентов

The research aims to identify persistent typical errors of Chinese students in the pronunciation of Russian vowels. The paper analyses more than 300 experimental pronunciation materials and shows that phonetic errors are directly related to the degree of mouth opening and the tongue position. Scientific novelty of the work lies in the objective assessment of pronunciation errors and visualisation of deviations from the norm using the Praat programme. The research findings have shown that the phonetic errors of Chinese students in the pronunciation of Russian vowels mainly concern the sounds [о], [у], [ы], [э]. To rectify the errors, it is necessary to correct the degree of mouth opening and the tongue position in the process of teaching Russian as a foreign language (RFL) to Chinese students.

Активизация познавательной деятельности на занятиях русского языка в иноязычной аудитории в условиях дистанционного обучения (на примере фрагмента мультфильма «Трое из Простоквашино»)

The purpose of the research is to describe working with a cartoon as a way to activate students’ cognitive activity in Russian as a foreign language (RFL) classes. The paper contains recommendations on using methods and means of Russian as a foreign language teaching, provides specific examples of game material that activate students’ learning within certain topics. Scientific novelty of the research lies in supplementing the available methods of activating foreign students’ cognitive activity in RFL classes with the methodology of working with animated films as exemplified by studying a fragment from the cartoon “Three from Prostokvashino”. The authors’ practical experience suggests that the said method helps to introduce students from different countries to the Russian reality in a successful manner and simplifies working with lexical and grammatical material making it more interesting and entertaining. As a result, it has been proved that the systematic use of interactive forms (flash cards, adventure games, worksheets, cartoons) in the educational process contributes to the intellectual, emotional and moral development of foreign students, intensification of cognitive needs, which in turn are the main categories of cognitive activity of a linguistic personality.

Teaching russian as a foreign language in prc: historical and cultural, methodological aspects

Despite the long history of teaching Russian in China, a unified concept of teaching Russian as a foreign language (RFL) in China has not been developed. Methods based on the educational standards of China do not overcome cultural and linguistic barriers, do not have an objective linguistic and cultural potential. In addition, the features of the educational standard in the field of teaching Russian as a foreign language in the PRC determine the features of mastering the Russian language. The authors of the article believe that textbooks on Russian as a foreign language for the PRC should be developed jointly with Chinese colleagues for specific educational institutions, taking into account the peculiarities of the educational traditions of China and Russia, the needs of specific groups of students, and the existence of educational standards in the two countries. To identify topics, difficulties in studying Russian as a foreign language, gender, age and socio-cultural characteristics of students in the PRC, a draft questionnaire is proposed for both students and teachers. Conducted expert interviews with Russian and Chinese teachers of Russian as a foreign language made it possible to identify significant contradictions at the level of goals, objectives and teaching methods.

СОВРЕМЕННОЕ ЭКСПЕРИМЕНТАЛЬНОЕ ОБУЧЕНИЕ РУССКОМУ ЯЗЫКУ КАК ИНОСТРАННОМУ В ВУЗАХ КИТАЯ

The paper discusses the projects and practice of experimental teaching of Russian as a foreign language (RFL) in the universities of China, which differs from traditional teaching of foreign languages. Based on the connotative development of the higher education, the general concept of the experimental teaching project “Internet+Russian,” its main content, innovative model of organization, tasks and prospects for deepening the pedagogical reform of teaching Russian as a foreign language are investigated. Using smart campus networks, language labs, digital language resources, and focusing on the real needs of students, the experiential teaching is conducted within four experimental learning modules that aim to resolve the issue of poor quality teaching of RFL due to the absence of a learning situation, time and space restrictions, and intercultural barriers. On this basis, three educational strategies are proposed to organize and conduct experimental work in teaching RFL. Findings indicate that the experimental teaching of RFL develops educational autonomy of students, builds intercultural communication skills, increases interest in scientific research and develops critical thinking in accordance with the requirements of the new humanities.