Sociocultural adjustment of foreign students to the educational ecosystem of north-western medical university named after I.I. Mechnikov

BACKGROUND: Before the age of social digitalization, the internationalization of higher education was a fragmented process, involving only some areas of the academic environment. Over the last 50 years, as a result of the changes caused by globalization, the international status of a university has become a factor that influences all the processes of a university, as well as the global and national rankings of universities. The Russian Federation has been and continues to be an attractive destination for foreign students. As the number of these students increases, educational ecosystems should adapt to their needs in order to successfully integrate them into the student community, increase their motivation to learn, and create the conditions for better academic performance. Educational ecosystems should be sensitive to the sociocultural adjustment of foreign students. AIM: The aim of the study was to determine the ways to improve the quality of education for foreign students at the North-Western Medical University named after I.I. Mechnikov. METHODS: The university ecosystem and key processes in the education and life of foreign students were evaluated. The design of the study is based on the authors’ hypothesis that first-year students taking their first midterm assessment experience and manifest a state of culture shock that negatively affects their academic performance. To test this hypothesis, a validated tool for assessing sociocultural adjustment, the Sociocultural Adaptation Scale, was used in 106 foreign students enrolled in an English-language general medicine program. Survey results were compared with U-curve parameters from Oberg’s culture shock model. RESULTS: Analysis of the survey results suggested that the students were smoothly integrated into the new university everyday and educational ecosystem, as indicated by result imposition on the U-curve of the culture shock model. The survey did not show the predicted sharp drop in the culture shock curve in the fourth month in the host country. CONCLUSION: The authors stated that the U-curve hypothesis is no longer justified today due to the creation and active maintenance of a sustainable educational ecosystem at the university, which makes it possible to create conditions for the successful socio-cultural adjustment of foreign students.