Dissertation is devoted to addressing a pressing scientific and pedagogical problem of developing cross-cultural competence in Bachelor’s students of International Relations in the process of professional training in higher education institutions. The relevance of the study is determined by the intensification of intercultural interaction under the conditions of globalization, the expansion of international contacts, the increasing role of communicative, analytical, and diplomatic functions of specialists in International Relations, as well as the growing demands on their ability to operate effectively in conditions of cultural diversity and dynamic socio-cultural transformations.
The analysis of the current state of professional training of Bachelor’s students in International Relations has revealed three interrelated contradictions: between the social demand for specialists capable of effective intercultural interaction and the insufficient level of cross-cultural competence among graduates; between the substantial body of theoretical research in Ukrainian and international pedagogical scholarship and its limited practical implementation in educational practice; and between the potential of modern interactive, activity-based, and contextual educational technologies and the dominance of traditional reproductive approaches in professional training. The generalization of these contradictions has necessitated the theoretical substantiation and experimental verification of pedagogical conditions for the development of the studied competence.
The methodological-target block defines the conceptual foundations of competence formation and outlines the scientific logic of designing the educational process. Its theoretical basis is a system of principles and a set of interrelated methodological approaches that ensure the integrity, multidimensionality, and practical orientation of future specialists’ professional training.
The content-procedural block of the model reflects a system of content-related, organizational, technological, and activity-based means for developing cross-cultural competence and ensures its practical implementation within the process of professional training. Its functioning is based on the integration of academic disciplines, forms of organizing the educational process, methods, and pedagogical technologies aimed at fostering future specialists’ ability to engage in effective intercultural interaction. This block is implemented through the use of active and interactive teaching methods, simulation and role-playing techniques, case-based learning, training sessions, project activities, and Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL), which enables the modelling of professionally oriented intercultural communication situations.
The diagnostic-resultative block provides a comprehensive assessment of the level of cross-cultural competence based on its emotional-value, cognitive-knowledge, activity-behavioural, and self-regulatory components, as well as the determination of its levels of development (elementary, intermediate, sufficient, and advanced).
The methods and technologies of professional training have been enhanced through the introduction of interactive, simulation-based, case-oriented, and training technologies, as well as CLIL. The content-technological foundations of cross-cultural competence development have undergone further refinement.
The pedagogical conditions for developing cross-cultural competence in Bachelor’s students of International Relations include ensuring the cross-cultural orientation of the content of professional training through the integration of relevant components into specialized disciplines, taking into account the specifics of international professional activity. This contributes to the formation of a holistic understanding of cultural diversity and the nature of intercultural interaction in a globalized world. The second condition is the implementation of Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) and a system of innovative pedagogical technologies that enhance students’ cognitive engagement, model professional intercultural situations, and foster communicative flexibility, tolerance, and readiness for professional activity in a multicultural environment. The third condition is the creation of an intercultural educational environment in higher education institutions as a space of continuous intercultural interaction, implemented through academic mobility, language centres, research clubs, international projects, and communicative practices, ensuring the accumulation of practical intercultural experience and the development of stable professional competencies.
