COMMUNICATION MODELS AND COMMON BASIS FOR MULTICULTURAL COMMUNICATION IN LATVIA

Different models serve not only as a frame for communication, they can help to rise problems as well as discuss them. This article introduces with the four communication models starting from Aristotle’s triangle model and ending with a more contemporary one. The authors try to find out, which is the most appropriate model for intercultural communication in Latvia? The empirical data collected from two focus-groups representing different cultures in Latvia serves as a base for interpretation of current situation where communication challenges can occur as a result of interaction between people with different cultural backgrounds. The article approves the idea to elaborate the new specific model for multicultural communication, and after analysis highlights the base and components of this new model.

Communication privacy management of students in Latvia

The lack of communication privacy boundaries among students and the fault of self-disclosure are two main reasons for unforeseen distress, broken relationships and trust, vulnerability and conflicts in universities. Based on S. Petronio’s theory of communication privacy management this research investigates the interaction of domestic students and foreign students in Latvia with their peers in order to set up privacy and disclosure boundaries that do not violate peer privacy, especially in a sensitive multicultural context. In fact, the presence of private information and the willingness to disclose it is often confronted with numerous privacy dilemmas and issues regarding their secureness, especially in universities where peers are young with different cultural backgrounds. This article analyzes the privacy management skills of locals and foreigners and reveals how security of information is managed between them stemming from social penetration and communication privacy management theory. Privacy management is significant in facing the dilemma of communication privacy and facilitates solving already existing problems of privacy among student

Russian speakers’ acculturation in Finland and Latvia : the role of language and news media engagement

Tutkimus tarjoaa vertailevan näkökulman venäjänkielisten sopeutumiseen Suomessa ja Latviassa, keskittyen erityisesti median käyttöön ja kielivalintoihin sopeutumisen viitekehyksessä. Tämän ymmärtämiseksi jäljennän venäjänkielisen median historiallista kehitystä Latviassa ja Suomessa, ulottuen Venäjän valloituksista Latviaan (1710) ja Suomeen (1809) 2020-luvulle asti. Sopeutuminen on operatiivinen käsite kulttuuriseen osallistumiseen (CI) ja kulttuuriseen mieltymykseen (CP), hyödyntäen Carlsonin ja Gülerin (2018) ehdottamaa mallia ja täydentäen uutismedian ja kielenkäytön osa-alueita. Tutkimus koostuu kolmesta artikkelista. Kyselytutkimuksen tulokset molemmista maista (N=224) paljastavat, että osallistujien kulttuurinen osallistuminen (CI) ja kulttuurinen mieltymys (CP) ovat keskivaiheilla, osoittaen kaksikulttuurisuus (biculturality) tilaa. Median käytön osalta kokonaistarkastelu viittaa pääasiassa suurempaan osallistumiseen 'ei-venäläisiin' uutislähteisiin verrattuna 'venäläisiin'. Kuitenkin tarkempi tutkimus paljastaa hienovaraisempia löydöksiä. Kielen osalta tutkimus tunnistaa myös merkittävän suhteen osallistujien CI-pisteiden ja kielitaidon välillä. Kielitaidon ylittäessä, kodin ulkopuolella yleisimmin käytetty kieli nousee keskeiseksi tekijäksi selittämään merkittävää osaa vaihtelusta sekä CI:ssä että CP:ssä. Alkuperäisen kontekstin ulkopuolella sovellettuna CI- ja CP-asteikko osoittautui tehokkaaksi venäjänkielisten sopeutumisen tutkimisessa Latviassa ja Suomessa. Olen osoittanut, kuinka tällaiset mittarit hyötyvät luovista täydennyksistä, kuten tässä esimerkkinä kielen ja uutismedian näkökohtien sisällyttäminen sopeutumisen yläpuolelle. Tutkimus käsittelee löydösten mahdollisia teoreettisia ja käytännön vaikutuksia.This study uses the acculturation framework to engage in a comparative exploration into the acculturation of Russian speakers’ in Finland and Latvia, with a particular focus on media engagement and language preferences. Specifically, I trace the historical trajectory of Russian-language media and the development of the diaspora in Latvia and Finland, spanning from the Russian conquests of Latvia (1710) and Finland (1809) to the 2020s. Acculturation is operationalized in terms of cultural involvement (CI) and cultural preference (CP), following the model proposed by Carlson and Güler (2018), and complemented by news media and language use domains. This dissertation consists of three articles. Drawing on survey data from both countries (N = 224), the study revealed that participants’ CI and CP orientations tended toward a middle point, indicating a state of biculturality. In terms of media use, the overall analysis suggests predominantly higher engagement with non-Russian news media sources compared to Russian ones. However, a closer examination revealed nuanced findings. In terms of language, this research also identified a significant relationship between participants’ CI scores and language proficiency. Going beyond proficiency, the language most frequently used outside the home emerged as a key factor explaining a substantial proportion of the variation in both CI and CP. Applied beyond its original context in the USA, the CI and CP scales proved reliable when tested in the context of Russian speakers in Latvia and Finland. Such measures benefit from creative complements, as exemplified here by the inclusion of language and news media aspects atop acculturation. Possible theoretical and practical implications of the findings are also discussed

Russian speakers’ media engagement and acculturation in Finland and Latvia

This comparative study looks into Russian speakers’ acculturation in Finland and Latvia by contrasting their cultural involvement and cultural preference Carlson and Güler (J Int Migr Integr 19:625–647, 2018. 10.1007/s12134-018-0554-4) with their self-reported news media use. Drawing on survey data collected from both countries (N = 224), the findings show that participants in both countries scored closer to biculturalism than monoculturalism. Majority of the respondents report predominantly engaging with non-Russian news media sources. However, regardless of the societal context, respondents who were more engaged with Russian news media sources also scored higher on cultural preference (towards Russian culture of origin). Further significant differences and implications are discussed.peerReviewe

Perceived challenges living and integrating into Finnish society : A study among immigrants in Finland

he number of immigrants living in Finland has significantly increased since the 1990s. It can be challenging to live and integrate into a new society. This study explores the challenges immigrants face living and integrating into Finnish society. Drawing on data collected from 103 immigrants living in Finland, this study shows that the challenges immigrants face integrating into Finnish society can be classified into four main categories: (1) language barrier, (2) discrimination in employment opportunities, (3) racism and inequality, and (4) fewer opportunities of integration. Implications and recommendations are briefly considered.peerReviewe

Perceived threat or perceived benefit? : Immigrants’ perception of how Finns tend to perceive them

Research on how immigrants are perceived by locals has flourished extensively within the past decades. Through the lens of integrated threat theory and the threat benefit model, this study examines immigrants’ perceptions of how Finns tend to perceive them based on their lived experiences. In a sample of 103 immigrants from over 40 nationalities living in Finland, results indicate that overall, immigrants believe they are perceived more as a threat than a benefit to the Finnish society. Implications and opportunities for further research are discussed as well.peerReviewe