Conceptual and Structural Essence of Intercultural Competence in the Students of the 'Information Technology' Branch at the University Environment

Abstract

The article describes the components of the formation of intercultural competence of students of the branch of 'Information Technology'. It is found that students' intercultural competence consists of three key components, namely conceptual-value, personal-motivational and activity-behavioral. It is revealed that the identified components of intercultural competence correspond to such professional and personal characteristics of future specialists in the of the branch of 'Information Technology', such as: social activity, readiness to interact with representatives of different ethnic groups, divergence of behavior, empathy, personal stability, communication. The following structural components of students' intercultural competence were also emphasized: knowledgeable (cognitive), affective-volitional (emotional, axiological) and prognostic activity (behavioral). It is revealed that the following indicators are indicators of intercultural competence: completeness of content and strength of knowledge, knowledge of the essence of intercultural competence, awareness of its importance. The essence of the concept of 'criterion' and the formation of intercultural competence, namely its main components: value-motivational, cognitive, operational-technological, reflexive and personal. Three levels of intercultural competence formation in IT students were identified and the structure of these levels in determining the degree of intercultural competence formation of IT students in the university's educational environment.