Intercultural mentoring in the system of pedagogical support for international students

Abstract

The article examines intercultural mentoring as a systemic mechanism of pedagogical support for international students amid the internationalization of higher education and the increasing complexity of adaptation challenges associated with cultural shock, differences in academic norms, communicative barriers, and acculturative stress. Mentoring is interpreted as a facilitating practice oriented towards dialogue of cultures and individualization of trajectories for entering the university community, where the mentor performs the functions of a mediator of meanings, a navigator through unwritten rules and an academic consultant. The effectiveness of the proposed model was tested in a longitudinal design (2019-2023) at five federal universities involving 1240 students from various macro-regions; the experimental group (625 individuals) with the implemented comprehensive program for training student and faculty mentors was compared to the control group (615 individuals) receiving traditional support. The application of standardized questionnaires on adaptation, academic self-efficacy, and intercultural sensitivity, comparison with academic performance and dropout indicators, and statistical processing (parametric and non-parametric criteria, correlation analysis) revealed consistent differences in favor of mentoring: the psychological well-being index reached 58.92 versus 42.15, sociocultural competence – 64.34 versus 38.67, situational anxiety decreased to 32.45 versus 54.23, satisfaction with interaction increased to 71.02 versus 45.78 with statistically significant differences. A pronounced increase in academic results was noted: overall GPA rose to 4.32 (increase of 32,51%) compared to 3.66 (11,93%) in the control, with the maximum effect in the professional cycle of disciplines. A structural restructuring of intercultural sensitivity was recorded: the share of ethnocentric stages decreased to 16,60% (from 57,01%), while without mentoring – to 46,46%; meanwhile, levels of acceptance and integration grew. It is shown that institutionally organized mentoring reduces the variability of negative experiences, enhances psychological resilience, promotes academic success, and fosters an inclusive university climate, while emphasizing the need for regulatory and methodological support, criteria for selecting and training mentors, and quality monitoring to prevent spontaneous, stereotyping practices.