THEORETICAL CONSTRUCT OF YOUNG LEARNERS’ INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE AND ITS PRACTICAL APPLICATION

Abstract

The relevance of the study is explained by the current political situation, where peace and friendship between representatives of various peoples is of importance. Foreign languages could be used as a means of teaching peaceful and effective interaction between representatives of different nations. The article deals with the issue of determining the intercultural competence of Russian-speaking primary school students. The aim of the study is to identify and describe the components of the intercultural competence of Russian youth. The study is based on the method of studying advanced pedagogical experience and the modeling method. The analysis of the works of V. Safonova and M. Bayram, of a number of international projects, European and Russian regulatory documents in the field of education allowed the authors to develop a theoretical construct of intercultural competence for children of primary school age. The construct includes a set of knowledge, skills, abilities and attitudes that elementary school students must acquire for effective intercultural communication. The novelty of the study lies in the analysis of cases which served as examples of practical ways to develop intercultural competence in children of primary school age.