An integrative model of digital pedagogical support for the adaptation of international students: a cross-cultural analysis of effectiveness in the context of the transformation of the university's educational environment

Abstract

Effective adaptation of international students to the socio-cultural environment of Russian universities is a complex problem that requires a systematic solution in the context of internationalization of higher education. The research is aimed at developing and verifying an integrative model of digital pedagogical support for the process of adaptation of foreign students, taking into account transformational processes in the educational space. The methodological foundation of the research is a combination of quantitative and qualitative approaches: longitudinal monitoring of adaptation processes, comparative analysis of the effectiveness of various adaptation tools, psychometric testing and semantic modeling of educational environments. The empirical basis of the study was made up of data obtained during a three-year experiment on a sample of international students (n=387) from 24 countries studying at 7 Russian universities of various profiles. The results of the study demonstrate a statistically significant increase in the socio-cultural adaptation index (ISCA) by 42,7% (p<0.001) in the experimental group compared with the control group. A strong correlation (r=0.78) was found between the intensity of use of the developed digital ecosystem of pedagogical support and the level of academic achievement. A cross-cultural analysis of the effectiveness of the proposed model has shown its universality for representatives of various linguistic and cultural groups with a coefficient of variability of results of 12,3%. It was determined that the integration of immersive technologies into the adaptation process increases the cognitive involvement of students by 36,8% and reduces the period of primary maladaptation by an average of 31 days. The theoretical significance of the research lies in the conceptualization of the phenomenon of the digital adaptation environment of the university, and the practical value lies in the development of scalable adaptation process management tools applicable in various educational institutions.