Elena Yu. Shemyakina

In the context of the digital transformation of higher education and the introduction of requirements for the use of electronic information and educational environment (EIEE) in the educational process of universities, the development of independent work skills among students is of particular importance. At the same time, the adaptation of foreign students to digital educational technologies retains special attention, requiring consideration of cultural, linguistic, and educational differences. In addition, the insufficient level of students’ competency in the field of digital literacy and self-organization can lead to stressful conditions with their negative consequences and a decrease in academic performance. The aim of the study is to analyze the level of the development of independent work skills (gnostic, design, organizational, communicative) among Russian and foreign first-year students in a digital educational environment, as well as to identify the relationship between these skills and EIEE parameters. To achieve the research objectives, a survey was conducted among 225 first‑year Russian and foreign students at two universities, along with a comparative and statistical analysis using the IBM SPSS Statistics software platform. It has been found that most students demonstrate an average level of the development of skills, especially organizational and design ones. Foreign students showed higher gnostic and design skills, but they demonstrated worse communicative skills as compared to Russian students. The theoretical significance of the work lies in clarifying ideas about the structure and dynamics of the development of independent work skills in a digital environment. The results of the study reveal the specifics of adaptation of foreign students, complement the concepts of digital competency and self-regulation of educational activities. The practical significance of the work is determined by the fact that the results obtained can be used to improve teaching methods, taking into account the differences identified between Russian and foreign students, the adaptation of digital platforms taking into account language and cultural barriers, the development of targeted time management and self-organization programs, the introduction of a tutorial support system, and the planning of psychological assistance.

The problem of learning motivation has long been in the center of scientific interest of teachers, psychologists and methodologists. As the analysis of literature showed, most of the research focuses on the educational motivation of students engaged in traditional or distance format. The purpose of the study is to examine learning motivation in the context of a blended (full-time-distance) format of conducting classes, as well as to analyze the motivational characteristics of students at different levels of higher professional education. The following questionnaires were used to study the motivational characteristics of students: test "Diagnostics of Professional and Educational Learning of Students" by K. Zamfir in the modification of A. A. Rean and the scale "Need for cognition" of the test-questionnaire "Diagnostics of self-actualization of a person" by A. V. Lazukin, adapted by N. F. Kalina. Comparative and correlation analyses were used to process the obtained data. Calculations were carried out using the SPSS Statistics 26 package. The research sample consisted of 377 students of N.P. Ogarev Mordovian State University and St. Petersburg State University of Economics, studying in three major groups of training areas (economics and management, social sphere, natural sciences), undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate levels. According to the results of the study, it can be concluded that external positive motivation is the prevailing type of motivation among students of the first stage of study, starting from the second year, while freshmen of undergraduate and specialty levels, as well as students of the second and third stages of professional training (graduate and postgraduate levels), are dominated by internal motivation. The study of the ratio of three types of motivation (motivational complex) showed that the worst motivational complex, according to the terminology of Zamfir – Rean, is more common among 1st year students, less often among graduate and postgraduate students. The results of the study contribute to the development of scientific ideas about the role of learning motivation at different stages of training. The presented material can be used for further study of the problems of motivation and for planning of the educational process.