МЕЖКУЛЬТУРНАЯ СЕНСИТИВНОСТЬ КАК НЕОБХОДИМЫЙ ФАКТОР ЭФФЕКТИВНОЙ МЕЖКУЛЬТУРНОЙ КОММУНИКАЦИИ ИНОСТРАННЫХ ОБУЧАЮЩИХСЯ

Abstract

In modern society there is high demand for intercultural competency due to expansion of international contacts, intensification of international communication and, as a result, a constant increase in the number of foreign students in Russian universities. At the same time the intercultural interaction is possible only if representatives of different cultures are ready to accept a different culture as their native culture. The condition for effective intercultural communication is the high level of intercultural sensitivity as an aspect of intercultural competency. The purpose was to examine the level of intercultural sensitivity in foreign students of Privolzhsky Research Medical University and to reveal the association between intercultural sensitivity and ethnic identity. The results of dimensions of such aspects of intercultural sensitivity as interaction attentiveness and respect, interaction confidence, interactional openness and engagement are presented. Materials and methods . A total of 60 foreign students from 8 countries provided the data for analysis, the results of which were interpreted and subjected to statistical analysis. Intercultural sensitivity was partially measured using an adapted version of Chen’s intercultural sensitivity scale. Results and conclusions. The study revealed that all foreign students have a certain level of intercultural sensitivity and differences in the students’ levels are associated with their personality and ethnic identity.