The Mediative Potential of Sociocultural Competence in Modern Education

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to provide a theoretical substantiation of the mediative potential of sociocultural competence as a scientific construct and to empirically verify its structural components within contemporary higher education in the context of increasing sociocultural diversity among participants in the educational process. The study was conducted using a комплекс of methods, including theoretical analysis and systematization of foreign concepts of intercultural competence (models developed by Michael Byram, Darla Deardorff, Milton Bennett, and Claire Kramsch); an author-designed questionnaire (48 Likert-scale statements, Cronbach’s α = 0.83) administered to a sample of 187 respondents (142 students of pedagogical specializations and 45 academic staff members from three higher education institutions); structured observation of educational interactions in multicultural groups (16 classroom sessions); and descriptive statistical methods. Four structural components of the mediative potential of sociocultural competence were identified: cultural tolerance, intercultural empathy, communicative flexibility, and value-semantic reflection. It was empirically established that the mediative potential among students of pedagogical specializations is developed at a moderate level, whereas among academic staff it is more pronounced. The greatest differences between the groups are associated with the level of value-semantic reflection, which also demonstrates a relationship with the effectiveness of mediative interaction.Sociocultural competence functions not only as a communicative resource but also as a conflict-management resource of the individual. Its mediative potential may be purposefully developed through appropriate organizational and pedagogical conditions, including school mediation services, intercultural educational projects, the integration of mediation techniques into academic disciplines, and teacher education programs with an emphasis on the development of the reflective component.