The article deals with the concept of “sociocultural adaptation of foreign students” through the system of its characteristics. By the example of the students from the People’s Republic of China studying at the Volgograd State Socio-Pedagogical University, the authors investigate the methods of pedagogic assistance to foreign students in overcoming the linguistic, didactic and sociocultural barriers at the preventive, primary and basic stages of sociocultural adaptation to the learning conditions in Russian higher schools.

The article dealswith the urgent issue of teaching Russian to students from the Asian and Pacific region. It characterizes the cultural and psychological features of students from the Asian and Pacific region and proves the necessity of hermeneutic methods, which are adequate to these features.

From the positions of humanitarian and holistic approach there are considered such characteristics of analytical skills of future teachers as their systemic nature, connection with theoretical knowledge and with teacher’s attitude to professional work, orientation at the integral situation of pedagogic collaboration.