Abstract

The paper explores the ways how Russian students with different social background view the cloud- based foreign language learning. The empirical data was collected through questionnaires and in-depth interviews of students from metropolitan and regional universities, taking into account the students’ family incomes, ethnic and religious affiliation. Quantative and qualitative methods were combined to interpret the survey results. Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS) was used to process statistic data. The paper reveals the issues the students feel sensitive about. The research findings lead to the conclusion that it is the students’ family background in terms of metropolitan or remote region origin and income level that most affect their positive/negative attitude and also the degree of aptitude to cloud-based learning. The research findings aim to contribute to better understanding of the issues regarding the overall cloud-based course design and implementation.

Key words: Cloud-based education, technology-supported foreign language learning, cultural diversity, ducation.