Cultural and Linguistic Adaptation of International Students at Russian Medical Universities: A Narrative Case Study

In the context of the intense internationalization process of higher education institutions globally, and amid the emergence of the conception of transcultural universities whereas students encounter the complex and multidimensional character of cultural and linguistic diversity, the effectiveness of international students’ cultural adaptation is becoming more salient than ever. In this paper, accordingly, the authors aimed at gaining an insight to foreign students’ cultural and linguistic adaptation process at Russian medical universities. International students from 49 countries were surveyed enabling respondents to elaborate on their intercultural experiences in Russia. Narratives were gathered from foreign students (N = 200) and investigated applying Polkinghorne’s concept of narrative analysis followed by the application of an innovative method, the identification of linguistic lacunas (lexical gaps) between students’ native languages and the Russian language. Linguistic lacunas were identified in 28 cases from the semantic domains of food, national holidays, personality traits, urban and rural areas, restaurants, nature, communication, transportation, local government, habits, events, and artifacts. 97% of respondents were able to evoke a best experience in Russia, that shed light on the following major thematic groups: travel, friends, cuisine, local events, and university. Worst experiences were revealed by 84,5% of students – those originated from the domains of language, cultural differences, weather, infrastructure, unpleasant events, racism, discrimination, and bureaucracy. 50,5% of respondents were parts of an intercultural misunderstanding or conflict, mostly due to the language barrier, discrimination, bad behavior of locals, lack of cultural knowledge, and racism. Results of the study can be effectively utilized primarily in the preparation of and assistance to international students in Russia to alleviate their cultural adaptation process by enhancing their intercultural awareness and transcultur