Young Learners’ Intercultural Competence: Theoretical Construct and Ways of its Practical Application

This research can be considered significant as in the light of the current political situation the issue of peace and friendliness among nations plays a crucial role. Foreign languages can become a means of teaching peaceful and effective cooperation between people of various nations. The paper investigates the issue of defining the intercultural competence of young learners, in particular, of Russian elementary school children. The research objective is identifying and describing the components of intercultural competence of Russian young learners. The study is connected with both general scientific (analysis, synthesis, induction) and pedagogical methods (the method of studying advanced pedagogical experience, modeling). The leading European and Russian educational normative papers were analyzed for developing the construct of international competence of young learners. Subsequently the works of prominent scholars in the field of intercultural competence (Dr V. Safonova and Dr. M. Byram) were examined. As a result of the analyses and syntheses of these materials the construct of intercultural competence was proposed. The construct includes a set of knowledge, skills, acquired practices, abilities and attitudes that elementary school students are to acquire for effective intercultural communication. A number of developed practical ways of developing elementary school children intercultural competence contribute to the scientific novelty of the study. Several international projects viewed as one of the ways to develop young learners' intercultural competence are described and analyzed. These projects are specifically developed by the authors and aimed at forming elementary schoolchildren's intercultural competence.本研究具有重要意义：鉴于当前国际局势，各国间的和平与友好议题发挥着至关重要的作用。外语可成为教导不同国家民众实现和平且高效合作的重要载体。本研究聚焦青年学习者（尤其是俄罗斯小学生）的跨文化能力（intercultural competence）界定问题，其目标在于明确并阐释俄罗斯青年学习者跨文化能力的构成要素。本研究综合运用了通用科学研究方法（分析、综合、归纳法）与教育学研究方法（先进教学经验研究法、建模法）。为构建青年学习者的跨文化能力框架，本研究分析了欧洲与俄罗斯的主流教育规范性文件，随后梳理了跨文化能力领域知名学者（V·萨福诺娃博士与M·拜拉姆博士）的相关研究成果。通过对上述材料的分析与综合，本研究提出了跨文化能力框架，该框架涵盖小学生为实现高效跨文化交际所需掌握的知识、技能、习得实践、能力与态度等要素。本研究开发的一系列针对小学生跨文化能力培养的实践路径，构成了本研究的科学创新点。此外，本研究还对若干可用于培养青年学习者跨文化能力的国际项目进行了描述与分析，这些项目均由本研究团队自主研发，旨在提升小学生的跨文化能力。