The communicative environment of a synchronous online Russian lesson in Chinese groups

Abstract

The communicative approach to teaching Russian as a foreign language (RFL) implies that the main goal - the acquisition of communication skills - can only be achieved in a stimulative communicative environment. Meanwhile, the online format, which is currently becoming popular, is characterized by limited interaction between the participants of the educational process. Thus, the problem of developing methodological foundations for a productive communicative environment in the process of online teaching is becoming acute for the methodology of teaching RFL. The aim of this study is to describe the features of educational communication, determined by Chinese cultural and educational traditions, on the material of monolingual groups from China studying Russian in Russian universities, and to develop a methodological framework for creating a productive communicative environment for synchronous RFL online lessons, considering the specifics of students' communicative behavior. The study material included 10 synchronous online RFL lessons with a total duration of 15 hours and 51 minutes. Monolingual groups of Chinese students (A2-B2) participated in the lessons. A content analysis method using Atlas.ti software was applied to process the results. Coding was based on a deductive approach with elements of inductive approach; the coding system was based on the category of social presence, operationalized and adapted to the specifics of RFL learning. The prevalence of several communication behavior patterns among Chinese students, which conflict with the current methodological principles, was shown. At the same time, deviations from conventional behavior of Chinese students at the analyzed RFL classes were observed. This suggested that despite the strong influence of cultural attitudes, the parameters of the communicative environment of an online lesson may vary depending on the teacher's efforts. It is argued that the formation of communicative environment of a synchronous online RFL lesson requires that the teacher possesses the ability to manage the interactivity of communication, to form an atmosphere of cooperation and cohesion in the online group, to maintain emotionality of online communication. The study contributes to the development of digital language teaching, forming a scientific basis for creating methodological technologies of a productive educational environment in RFL online teaching.