The Dynamics of Linguistic Self-Assessment of Learners of RUSSIAN as a Foreign Language in Its Relation to Academic Performance (Based on the Results of 2023 and 2024)

Introduction: This article examines the relationship between variations in linguistic self-esteem and academic performance among international students studying Russian at the preparatory department of the K. A. Timiryazev Russian State Agricultural Academy during the 2023-2024 academic year. The study aims to explore the correlation between students' levels of linguistic self-esteem and their success in learning Russian as a foreign language. It hypothesizes that students with persistently low self-esteem may achieve better language acquisition outcomes compared to those with accurate or inflated self-perceptions. Research methods involved surveying students before and after their exams, followed by comparative analysis of the collected data. The survey included 74 students representing 35 countries. Key findings reveal a notable pattern: higher academic achievement correlates with lower self-esteem. Conversely, students with average or lower scores tend to have a more realistic assessment of their language skills and exhibit lower aspirations. Specific results indicate that students who achieved “excellent” grades predominantly have stable low self-esteem (16 to 2), while those with “good” grades also show predominantly stable self-esteem (12 to 5). Students with average results tend to have a more balanced view of their self-esteem, and underperforming students also demonstrate predominantly stable self-esteem. The novelty of this research lies in its comparative approach, analyzing students’ actual academic results alongside their perceptions of language proficiency over a two-year period. Practically, the findings can inform the development of more effective teaching strategies that account for students' psychological characteristics and their linguistic self-esteem. Future research could further investigate the underlying causes of low self-esteem among successful students and develop methods to optimize the learning process by considering individual self-esteem profiles.