Peculiarities of learning environment of students from different cultures at a specialized university: a vision of dream studies

Abstract

Contribution Learning achievements of the students with different cultural background in a specialized university directly depends on the effectiveness of the educational environments being developed at the university: how these environments meet the specific learning needs of the students and motivate them for successful learning activities, i.e. creating their own personal learning environment (Jucevičienė et al., 2010). Such a learning environment, in which students' attitudes to learning are also affected by their own cultural differences, has to be characterized by particular flexibility and non-traditional pedagogical decisions (Gudaitytė et al., 2014). Therefore, it is up to us, developers of such an educational environment, to find out the expectations of students, expressed as a vision of "dream studies", on which we could make the right educational decisions. As it can be stated according to the studies conducted in Lithuania by Jucevičienė et al. (2010); Gudaityte, Butrimė, et al. (2013, 2017); Gudaityte, Alešiūnaitė, et al. (2014); lecturers working in a specialized university, and in particular with the students from different cultural backgrounds, face a variety of difficulties related to the expression of teachers' educational excellence. Therefore, this research continues the research aimed at identifying and solving the problems of teachers' educational activities, in this case with regard to the identification of the learning needs of students with different cultural bacground. The article attempts to answer the question what peculiarities of the student with different cultural bacground learning environment at a specialized university could be observed and distinguished with the help of their imaginary dream studies. What elements of the learning environment dominate when they are evaluated according to the criteria of the educational environment: goals, methods, meas[...].