Implementation of a Nationally Oriented Approach in Working with African Students: From the Experience of Working with Ivorians

Author:

Gaponova Zh.K., Serogodskaya А.А.

Abstract:

The active development of cooperation between the Russian Federation and African countries has led to an increase in the number of African students in Russian universities and the establishment of Open Education Centers in Africa, overseen by pedagogical universities in Russia. These strategic partnership relations necessitate a reassessment by the academic and pedagogical community of both educational practices with international students and the substantive aspects of teaching Russian as a foreign language (RFL), including the enhancement of national-cultural and practice-oriented components in language instruction. Given the need to foster a positive attitude among foreign students towards the Russian language and culture, as well as to strengthen their motivation for obtaining a Russian education, the search for effective teaching practices for RFL instruction among foreign students—particularly those from Africa, specifically Côte d’Ivoire—becomes highly relevant. This study aims to describe the effective methods and techniques for teaching Russian as a foreign language that have been tested by the authors, taking into account the ethnocultural and ethnopsychological characteristics of Ivorian students and creating favorable conditions for promoting the Russian language. The article offers practical recommendations for RFL teachers who engage in educational activities on the African continent or work with African students in Russia. The experience described in this article will help address certain linguodidactic challenges encountered in educational settings with African audiences. The implementation of the system developed and applied by the authors for teaching Russian to Ivorian students has demonstrated that high effectiveness can be achieved by considering specific characteristics of the African audience, such as emotionality, musicality, and artistic expression, as well as leveraging information and communication technologies that accommodate the multifaceted needs and interests of learners.

Keywords:

Russian as a foreign language, RFL teaching methodology, Ivorian students, nationally oriented education system, Africa, Côte d’Ivoire

DOI:

10.31132/2412-5717-2025-71-2-123-134

References:

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For citation:

Gaponova Zh.K., Serogodskaya A.A. (2025). Implementation of a Nationally Oriented Approach in Working with African Students: From the Experience of Working with Ivorians. Journal of the Institute for African Studies. Vol. 11. № 2. Pр. 123–134. https://doi.org/10.31132/2412-5717-2025-71-2-123-134

Для цитирования:

Гапонова Ж.К., Серогодская А.А. Реализация национально ориентированного подхода в работе с африканскими студентами: из опыта работы с ивуарийцами. Ученые записки Института Африки РАН. 2025. Т. 11. № 2. С. 123–134. https://doi.org/ 10.31132/2412-5717-2025-71-2-123-134