| Abstract [eng] |
Constant changes in science and technologies pose increasingly higher requirements to vocational teachers both as specialists of the appropriate subject area and personalities seeking for diverse improvement, being open to innovations and international integration, able to adapt flexibly to constant changes and realise the accumulated potential. The development of educators’ competences is influenced by international and intercultural projects implemented in educational organisations. Participation of vocational teachers in international projects enables acquiring intercultural education experience, developing general competences and in particular intercultural competence that helps the educators to become more effective in the chosen field of education. Object of work – intercultural competence of vocational teachers. Objective of work – to determine the manifestation of intercultural competence of vocational teachers in project activities. To attain the set objective, the following tasks were identified: to examine the concept of project activity; to define the contents of intercultural competence of vocational teachers; to conduct an empirical assessment of manifestation of vocational teachers’ intercultural competence in project activities. Methodology that helped attain the set tasks included scientific literature and document analysis, questionnaire survey, interview, statistical data analysis, and qualitative content analysis. The scientific literature analysis revealed that vocational teacher’s personal attitudes, knowledge and skills, cultural awareness, and knowledge of foreign language could not be separated from intercultural education aimed at effective management of the increasing cultural diversity and ensuring inclusive and sustainable development of an individual. When examining scientific literature, it was determined that project activity is a formal intercultural competence development method creating the space for manifestation and (self)development of cultural, subject-related and vocational knowledge promoting the vocational teachers’ intercultural professional dialogue and helping find new ways of teaching/learning and gaining new experiences that could be applied in everyday professional activities. The research findings showed that manifestation of vocational teachers’ intercultural competence dimensions in project activities was high. In project activities, vocational teachers’ cultural awareness manifested the most, while foreign language knowledge manifested the least, compared to other dimensions. It was determined that in vocational training institutions, international projects of Erasmus+ programme oriented to international mobility, strategic partnership and cross-border cooperation and associated with qualification improvement of vocational teachers, introduction of innovations and renovation and expansion of infrastructure were the most common. The interview analysis revealed that participation in project activities was beneficial to vocational teachers, students and vocational training institutions. It was determined that international project activities represent the active method for (self)development of intercultural competence of vocational teachers and students. |
