THEORETICAL FOUNDATIONS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION COMPETENCE AMONG STUDENTS

This article examines the theoretical foundations for developing intercultural communication competence among university students. It analyzes the concepts, structural components, and pedagogical principles underlying intercultural communicative competence in contemporary foreign-language education. Particular attention is given to the integration of linguistic, sociocultural, pragmatic, cognitive, and behavioral components into the educational process. The study discusses the role of authentic materials, comparative cultural analysis, interactive teaching methods, critical reflection, and real-life communicative situations in preparing students to communicate effectively with representatives of different linguistic and cultural communities. It is argued that intercultural communication competence enables students not only to use a foreign language appropriately but also to understand cultural differences, overcome stereotypes, demonstrate tolerance, and select communication strategies suited to a particular sociocultural context. The findings indicate that the systematic integration of language and culture teaching contributes to students’ linguistic proficiency, cultural awareness, empathy, and readiness for constructive intercultural dialogue.