Sociolinguistic Adaptation of Students from China Studying at Moscow Universities: Mixed-Method Research

Sociolinguistic adaptation of students from China studying at Moscow universities: mixed-method research Russian Federation is highly focused on involving foreign students in the academic environment. The adaptation processes that academic migrant go through are different from those of other migrant communities. This study is an attempt to determine the degree of sociolinguistic adaptation of students from China in Moscow through the qualitative and quantitative analysis. The following important research problems were identified: 1) giving a general description of Chinese educational migration in Russia; 2) considering the main processes and features of the sociolinguistic adaptation of students from China; 3) developing a model for the study of sociocultural adaptation through the use of a mixed-method approach. Since adaptation in the new environment depends on the ethnocultural characteristics of the migrant group, the paper presents the specificities of modern Chinese community in social, communication and value aspects. The developed model of the combined research method is implemented using narrative analysis and statistical data analysis. As the result of the study, the main hypothesis which states that students from China have a low level of sociocultural adaptation, was confirmed. The material basis of the study is the collected material presented by the narratives of 3 respondents, as well as data obtained by questioning 90 respondents that have had Chinese ethnic and cultural identity, interviewed by spontaneous sampling from February to May 2020 at the territories of educational institutions and dormitories of the Higher School of Economics, Moscow State University, Peoples' Friendship University of Russia.