Teaching mathematical discourse to international students in the context of educational multilingualism

The present article is devoted to the teaching of mathematical discourse to international students in Russian universities in the context of natural educational multilingualism. The paper examines the specifics of teaching Arabic students from Morocco, Algeria, Yemen, and Sudan, who are undergoing pre-university training at the Perm State Pharmaceutical Academy. One of the main challenges is the linguistic diversity of students and the need to master mathematical speech in several languages simultaneously, which requires the development of special methods and teaching materials. The article emphasizes the importance of a strategic approach to organizing the educational process, which takes into account external factors, such as the educational policy of the Russian Federation and the labor market demands, as well as the characteristics of the students: their psycho-pedagogical traits, proficiency in foreign languages, and mathematical culture. In the context of external factors, the "Education Export" project, aimed at increasing the competitiveness of Russian education and attracting international students, is significant, as well as the trends toward strengthening the role of the Russian language in the international educational system. The analysis of the internal educational environment showed that the linguistic situation in Arab countries, with their multiple dialects and low proficiency in Modern Standard Arabic, creates additional difficulties for students in mastering the subjects of the physical and mathematical cycle. The methodological basis of the study includes multilingual, environmental, strategic, and competency-based approaches. The multilingual approach to teaching involves the use of several languages (Russian, English, French, and Arabic) in mastering mathematical discourse. The environmental approach focuses on creating a multilingual cultural and educational environment that promotes the integration of students into the academic space and supports intercultural interaction. The competency-based approach allows combining communicative, subject, and multilingual subject competencies, which are developed in the process of learning, which is particularly important in a multilingual academic environment. One of the study's tasks was to identify the difficulties faced by Arabic students in studying mathematics in the context of natural educational multilingualism. The analysis showed that the problems are not only related to an insufficient level of proficiency in foreign languages (Russian, English, or French) but also to the specific linguistic environment characteristic of Arab countries. Students often mix dialects and foreign words, leading to incorrect perceptions of mathematical speech and mistakes in academic activities. It was revealed that traditional methods of teaching mathematics in Russian do not consider the features of multilingual groups, creating additional barriers to learning. As part of the research, the authors developed teaching materials for teaching mathematics and mathematical discourse in several languages, which can be used both in the classroom and for students' independent work. These materials consist of theoretical, practical, and historical blocks, including tasks aimed at developing both linguistic and mathematical competence. Four-language tables, exercises for vocabulary memorization, linguistic cliches, and tasks for activating speech and mathematical activity help students master both vocabulary and key mathematical concepts in different languages. The practical significance of the study lies in the fact that the developed materials are already being used in the educational process of the Perm State Pharmaceutical Academy. They help to level the differences in the linguistic and mathematical preparation of international students and create conditions for the effective acquisition of mathematical speech in several languages. A special focus in the materials is placed on the use of linguistic cliches, the search for cognates, and the integration of historical and cultural context, which contributes to improving the quality of interlingual communication and adapting students to the educational process. The research has shown that for the successful mastery of mathematical discourse in the context of natural educational multilingualism, it is necessary to create specialized teaching materials that take into account the linguistic diversity of students and the specifics of their preparation. Moreover, an important factor for success is the organization of a multilingual educational environment that fosters the integration of students and the development of their linguistic, mathematical, and communicative competencies. The implementation of these materials in the educational process of Russian universities will increase the effectiveness of teaching international students and prepare them for successful academic and professional activities at the international level. The authors declare no conflicts of interests.

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