Socio-linguistic innovations in education: Productive implementation of intercultural communication

Abstract

Socio-linguistic innovations in education as effective managerial tool provide resolving wide range of cross-cultural communication problems, including the process of social and psychological adaptation of international students; however, methodological component of this notion is not completely identified. We performed innovative productive method in international students' education and their socio-cultural adaptation. Our strategic target was to define the productive method effectiveness in the sphere of intercultural communication of international students in St. Petersburg Polytechnic University. We observed the level of communicative competence formation including linguistic, sociolinguistic, discursive, socio-cultural and social skills of international students which are highly important for their social and psychological comfort. We tested the students and identified that the level of their communicative skills was not enough for successful intercultural communication in a new socio-cultural environment (average point of 43% from 100% in Russian and 55% in English). Productive method implementation provided the communicative competence increase to the average point of 70% in Russian and to the average point of 71% in English. In conclusion, this study confirms the effectiveness of the productive approach as a methodological system developing student's communicative competence which allows designing a flexible socially-oriented educational environment including elements of psychological support and adaptation.