| Abstract [eng] |
This master thesis explores the cultural adaptation of international students at Vilnius University. Coming for their studies at Vilnius University, international students have to adapt themselves not only to the Lithuanian education system, but also to the Lithuanian culture. The subject of the paper is the cultural adaptation of international students at Vilnius University. The aim of the paper is to identify the characteristic features of the cultural adaptation of international students taking their degrees at Vilnius University. The achievement of the aim necessitated the completion of the following tasks: To review the research studies on cultural adaptation, which have been carried out in Lithuania and abroad; To identify the major factors affecting cultural adaptation in an alien environment; To review the adaptation of international students at educational institutions abroad; To study and distinguish the characteristic features of the cultural adaptation of international students at Vilnius University. The paper makes use of the following research methods: analysis of scientific literature and articles, questionnaire-based survey, and statistical data analysis. The cultural adaptation of international students was explored by means of a quantitative survey. The quantitative survey was conducted on the basis of the questionnaire drawn up in the English and Lithuanian languages. The adaptation scale has been developed for assessing the adaptation of international students. The measurement of adaptation by the scale of ranks provided an opportunity to distinguish various levels of adaptation: from the lowest to the highest. The adaptation scale allowed to measure different adaptation dimensions: cultural adaptation of international students at Vilnius University and cultural adaptation of international students in Vilnius as a city. The questionnaire has been filled in by 90 international students out of 358 international students currently taking their degrees at Vilnius University. The survey was being conducted from February to March 2010. The 90 respondents have been classified into 9 groups according to the regions of their origin. The classification of international students according to 9 regions of their origin has been carried out on the basis of their cultural and religious identification with a concrete geographical location. The Master thesis could just partly prove the hypothesis suggesting that foreign students at Vilnius University do not limit themselves to the adaptation to the Lithuanian culture, but also seek the adaptation to Vilnius University. The survey shows that international students adapted themselves (as the adaptation coefficient shows) better to Vilnius University than to Vilnius as a city according to the majority of parameters: difficulties encountered while studying and residing in Vilnius; dependence of cultural adaptation on the degree of cultural distance between a foreign student’s homeland and the Lithuanian culture; dependence of cultural adaptation on the time spent studying at Vilnius University; and advance knowledge of Vilnius University. This enables to draw the conclusion that there is a greater distance between different cultures than between different universities; therefore, international students adapt themselves better to Vilnius University. |
