Analysis of the verbal image of Russia and Russians in the process of teaching RFL

Importance. The development of a positive attitude towards Russia and its inhabitants is a priority task for a teacher of Russian as a foreign language. It seems necessary to carry out purposeful work in creating a system of verbal images of Russia and Russians in the representation of foreign students. The purpose of the study is to explore the theoretical prerequisites for studying the verbal image and describing the components of the verbal image of Russia and Russians among foreign students. Materials and Methods. The results analysis of a survey conducted among international undergraduate students at the Institute of Russian as a Foreign Language of the Herzen Russian State Pedagogical University revealed the components of the verbal image of Russia. The data obtained are taken into account when teaching Russian as a foreign language to form a positive image of the country. Results and Discussion. The results analysis of the first survey of foreign students revealed negative associations in the minds of foreigners, which must be corrected, as they reduce motivation to master the Russian language. The results of the second survey of foreign students after training demonstrate the presence of positive verbal images in their minds, proving the effectiveness of the training. Conclusion. The results obtained in the course of the study have theoretical and practical significance, as they enable a teacher of Russian as a foreign language to predict possible negative verbal images of Russia among foreign students, take them into account when teaching Russian to foreigners and, thereby, make the process more effective.