JoLIE 15:2/2022

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FOREWORD

ADVANCED RESEARCH IN EDUCATION, LINGUISTICS AND CULTURAL STUDIES IN POST-SOVIET COUNTRIES

Liudmyla Mashtaler

National Pedagogical Dragomanov University

After the collapse of the USSR, the newly independent countries faced a number of economic, political and social problems which became a priority, while other issues pertaining to education, science and culture were not given enough attention. Ignoring these problems for a long time only worsened the situation and called for a series of changes. This special journal issue illustrates the directions chosen by various post-Soviet countries in an effort to improve their educational systems, language and cultural policies in the context of their integration into the international community.

The educational system which needed substantial reforming changed in various countries at a different pace. At the same time, educators largely focused on educational processes in Europe. The articles “The pedagogical concept of foreign-language training for business students” and “A comparison of the quality of distance and full-time education using the example of the methodology for teaching English to students in 2000-2020, including in the context of a pandemic” describe the specifics of teaching a foreign language to students in the post-Soviet space, whereby the authors compare it with international methods and examine changes over a long period.

The general state of minority languages, the teaching/learning peculiarities and public policies regarding the language issue are considered in the article “German as a minority language in Ukraine”. Using the example of the situation of the German language in Ukraine, the authors identified possible ways of supporting national minorities. The article “Features of teaching methods at the Ferenz Rakoczy II Transcarpathian Hungarian College of Higher Education” demonstrates the importance of taking into account multilingualism as a feature of the post-Soviet society, and puts forth an appropriate methodology.

Next to the concept of multilingualism in the post-Soviet space, it is worth mentioning multiculturalism as well and its influence on language, culture, and education. These topics are highlighted on the example of a writer’s life and worldview in the article “The ‘multicultural’ phenomenon inherent in William Kurelek’s creative method: Research and results”. Specific aspects of culture and traditions of peoples are reflected in phraseological units. The authors of the article “Linguocultural analysis of phraseological meanings” examine phraseological units from the English, Russian and Kazakh languages and identify commonalities in language connections and ways of expressing the essence of things and phenomena they describe.

Since language is the most important means of communication, the articles “Linguistic and communicative modeling in the theatrical interview genre” and “The cultural space and communicative functions in the Kazakh language” raise questions about the choice of linguistic resources in different communicative contexts. The need to strengthen the communicative functions of national languages in society, which, in particular, is a consequence of the language policy of the USSR, is proven. The article “Linguistic means of dehumanization of the enemy in the discourse of the armed conflict in Ukraine” deals with infowar and the use of linguistic strategies in it.

This guest edition allows for a deeper understanding of the specific features of the languages in use in the post-Soviet space and provide insightful recommendations for improving language education on the territory of the former USSR countries. The interrelationship of language, culture and education and the solutions to pressing issues arising in the context of this interrelatedness are demonstrated.

How to cite this article: Mashtaler, L. (2022). Foreword. Advanced research in education, linguistics and cultural studies in post-soviet countries. Journal of Linguistic and Intercultural Education – JoLIE, 15(2), 7-8. doi: https://doi.org/10.29302/jolie.2022.15.2.1

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