Formation of intercultural competence of students in the process of teaching foreign languages at the university: psychological and pedagogical conditions of effectiveness

Abstract

The article is devoted to the urgent problem of the formation of intercultural competence of students in the process of teaching foreign languages at the university. The purpose of the study is to identify and substantiate the psychological and pedagogical conditions conducive to the effective development of this competence. The methodological basis consists of competence-based, personal-activity and axiological approaches. An empirical study was conducted on a sample of 256 students of 1-4 courses of language specialties using the author's diagnostic complex. As a result, three key performance criteria were established: 1) immersion of students in an authentic linguistic and cultural environment (r=0.78; p<0.01); 2) application of interactive teaching methods modeling situations of intercultural interaction (r=0.71; p<0.01); 3) realization of the axiological potential of the disciplines of the linguistic and cultural cycle (r=0.68; p<0.01). The prospects of introducing the results into the practice of language education in higher education institutions, taking into account the specifics of students' professional training, are determined. The conclusion is made about the need for an integrated approach to the formation of intercultural competence, integrating linguistic, communicative, and value-semantic components of foreign language training.