FACILITATION AS THE BASIS AND MECHANISM OF EFFECTIVE ADAPTATION OF FOREIGN STUDENTS

Abstract

According to the results of theoretical and methodological search for ways and methods of effective adaptation of foreign students, it has been established that in modern social and geopolitical conditions the problem of adaptation is quite urgent, its solution requires analysis of actual issues arising in the process of personality implementation into a new socio-cultural environment and activity, creation of appropriate diagnostic tools, use of training technologies, specific organization of the educational process, etc. and, in general, a comprehensive approach in order to ensure effectiveness of adaptive influences. Implementation of adaptive influences based on the facilitative potential of the individual and the social environment, created dynamic model of facilitation, taking into account the adaptive facet of the general function of facilitation allows to adapt a person both by using active formative influences and by creating appropriate conditions for the development of foreign students’ adaptive abilities. Therefore, the aim of the article is to test the dynamic model facilitation in order to adapt students effectively. As the main methods of measurement there have been used “Test Questionnaire of Facilitative Potential of Personality”, “Method of Research of Meaningful Motivation of assistance”, “Diagnostic Method of Individual Differences of Personal Facilitative Ability according to Spheres of Manifestation” (M. Kazanzhy) and “Scale of Social and Psychological Adaptation” (K. Rogers, R. Diamond, adapted by A. Osnitsky).
The training work included elements of overcoming “language barriers”, implementing into the student environment, mastering the basic norms of the new sociocultural environment and activities, engaging foreign senior students in the process of adaptation of first-year students, forming a stable positive attitude towards the future profession, etc. 
Adaptation of foreign students was based on the created dynamic model of facilitation and comprised identification of the facilitator and facilitatee’s intentions, actualization of all components of the facilitation potential of the individual, involvement of the appropriate potential of the environment, manifestation of facilitative ability in certain spheres of vital activity or their complex, influence of the specifics of facilitative ability manifestation on the process of facilitation, display of different facets of the facilitative ability general function, as well as the impact of personal characteristics and situational factors.
The validation of the developed training included measurements of social and psychological adaptation before and after the forming influences, as well as the facilitative qualities measurements. The statistical significance of the changes, confirmed by the calculation of the Student’s t-test for the dependent and independent samples, has proved the effectiveness of the developed training aimed at adaptation of foreign students.