Formation of Intercultural Pedagogical Communicative Competence

at the Pre-university Stage as a Factor of Sustainable Development of

Education

Elena Rudakova

, Andrey Leifa

and Frank R. Chappell

Blagoveshchensk State Pedagogical University, Blagoveshchensk, Russia

Amur State University, Blagoveshchensk, Russia

Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America

Keywords: Intercultural Pedagogical Communicative Competence, Blended Learning, Future Teachers, Pedagogical

Lyceum, Pre-University Stage of Education.

Abstract: This article is devoted to the analysis of blended learning and the peculiarities of its application in the process

of forming intercultural pedagogical communicative competence of future teachers at the pre-university stage

of education as a factor of sustainable development of education. The article also contains a description of

different types of blended learning and provides a list of resources and work that is essential to improving

intercultural interaction skills in the pedagogy of a multicultural environment. Moreover, this article presents

an algorithm of how to combine classroom studies with classes organized using online technologies and the

Internet, which qualitatively improve the process of obtaining basic professional skills and abilities to enter

into intercultural communication, in accordance with the requirements of the educational situation in real and

virtual interactions.

1 INTRODUCTION

The present state of educational contexts points to a

pedagogical environment of increasing

multiculturalism. The use of online technologies is

becoming an increasingly urgent requirement to

construct and supplement contemporary educational

standards. The use of blended learning allows

educators to solve a number of problems surrounding

the modernization of education and the formation of

necessary skills related to positive social interaction

in teachers and students. These aspects are of

particular importance in terms of preparing future

teachers for a professional activity, where the ability

to enter into intercultural communication is one of the

most significant key competencies and involves the

ability to build a dialogue in offline and online

realities in accordance with the rules and norms of

speech etiquette. Moreover, the use of blended

learning in the process of organizing the professional

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training of future teachers allows them to gain

practical experience in using various kinds of online

resources and online communications in the

educational process, as well as to get an idea of their

correct combination with offline work approaches.

It should also be noted that blended learning, with

all its flexibility and variability, presupposes a large

amount of independent work of a student and their

direct participation in the organization of their own

educational route is crucial to their progress

(Rudakova, 2020).

This becomes especially important in the process

of organizing professional training—which

presupposes a greater quantity of self-organization on

the part of students—that will reinforce skills

required to engage in independent work. At the pre-

university stage, the presence of these skills is also

decisive in the formation of future teachers’ ability to

enter into intercultural dialogue in situations of

pedagogical interaction. Blended learning methods

are some of the most effective ways to encourage

556

Rudakova, E., Leifa, A. and Chappell, F.

Formation of Intercultural Pedagogical Communicative Competence at the Pre-university Stage as a Factor of Sustainable Development of Education.

DOI: 10.5220/0010671800003223

In Proceedings of the 1st International Scientiﬁc Forum on Sustainable Development of Socio-economic Systems (WFSDS 2021), pages 556-561

ISBN: 978-989-758-597-5

their development, but practical strategies related to

their application in training future teachers at the pre-

university stage of education is insufficiently studied.

It is this lacuna in the data that our research intends to

address and suggest potential strategies for solving.

2 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

The aim of the study was the formation of

intercultural pedagogical communicative competence

of future teachers at the pre-university stage in the

process of blended learning.

Research methods: Our review, analysis, and

synthesis of scientific literature combined with

practical, observed pedagogical experiences of

blended learning in the training of future teachers at

the pre-university stage of education, pedagogical

observation, and analysis of the data obtained.

3 RESEARCH RESULTS

Today, the development of educational and teaching

activities reveals the plethora of advantages to using

information and communication technologies that

allow educators to improve the forms and methods of

traditional approaches to teaching. The organization

of the educational process has significantly changed

to the use of digital media and communication, and

the new conditions of teaching and the learning

process allow educators to implement brand new

ideas based on the latest achievements in

methodology (Means, 2010).

The necessity of using new schemes in

educational processes and considering the demands

of each student is given in Art. 15 of the Federal Law

of December 29, 2012 No. 273-F3 "On education in

the Russian Federation" (amended on 02/03/2014).

“It iterates that the implementation of various

educational programs aimed at obtaining education is

oriented toward e-learning, which suggests

educational methodologies that utilize distance-

learning technologies” (Nagaeva, 2016).

Art. 16, paragraph 1 states, “E-learning is

understood as the organization of educational

activities using information contained in databases

and used in the implementation of educational

programs and information technologies, technical

means, as well as information and telecommunication

networks that provide transmission over

communication lines, the specified information, the

interaction of students and teaching staff. Distance

learning technologies are understood as educational

technologies implemented mainly with the use of

information and telecommunication networks with

indirect (at a distance) interaction between students

and teachers” (Nagaeva, 2016).

Also, according to paragraph 7 of the Procedure

for the use of e-learning, distance-learning

technologies by educational organizations approved

by the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia

No. 816 dated 23.08.2017 have the right to implement

educational programs—or their parts—by organizing

training sessions in the form of online courses. They

are designed to ensure that students, regardless of

their location or organization, are able to organize

training and assessment of their learning outcomes.

This is achieved by organizing activities in an online

educational environment that is offered by the

information and telecommunications network, the

"Internet" (Nagaeva, 2020).

These provisions confirm the need to use forms

and methods of distance work in the learning process

due to not only the rapidly changing environment of

modern educational standards, but also the processes

relate to communication. In modern educational

environments, it becomes increasingly necessary to

apply the skills of entering into intercultural

communication in the online space. Accordingly, the

process of forming intercultural pedagogical

communicative competence at the pre-university

stage of pedagogical training should be carried out by

the combination of in person classroom activities with

e-learning (Jakushev, 2015). The formation of the

above-mentioned quality is a long process. Therefore,

the formation of future teachers as mediators of

culture and guides to the world of science cannot take

place in isolation from the specifics of online

learning; digital interaction skills and the ability to

quickly switch from working in real-time to working

in virtual space are necessary for future educators

(Soboleva, 2020).

The advantages of blended learning are defined by

I.A. Nagaeva who emphasizes that each student gets

the opportunity to improve the required knowledge

and skills in a convenient format, which is achieved

by providing effective learning management tools

(Nagaeva, 2016). Also, the use of technology in

teaching creates new possibilities for social

interaction in a classroom. Blended learning can

make the whole process more effective as it can be

used anywhere and at any time; it can improve

monitoring for students and vary the activities during

the lesson. As a result, students develop naturally in

an educational environment that combines offline and

distance characteristics, and learn to be more

Formation of Intercultural Pedagogical Communicative Competence at the Pre-university Stage as a Factor of Sustainable Development of

Education

557

independent and organized. Blended learning also

offers flexible and complex approaches to the

organization of individual and group work as well as

multitasking activities that allow the students to

develop skills and abilities simultaneously (Griff,

2012).

E-learning technologies offer up-to-date content

that is available for learners with different demands

and educational aims. The combination of online and

offline elements makes education effective, less time

consuming and convenient; the educational process

becomes much more interactive, student-oriented,

and adaptive for members of the educational system

(Masalimova, 2014).

In turn, P. Newmyer, provides a scientific

approach to blended learning and notes several

aspects that represent a stepping stone to improve the

incorporation of blended learning in teaching and

learning practice (Nagaeva, 2016). He highlights the

fact that the model for combining offline and online

modes presupposes the design of a training course

which will provide an adequate ratio of work

modalities according to the aims of training as well as

the level of students’ educational background and

teachers` skills. In this case, the following sequential

use of operating modes is possible: face-to-face,

online; or combined, face-to-face - online - face-to-

face, etc (Nagaeva, 2016). The distribution of the

material involves special teaching skills according to

the mode of work. There is parallel work (training

occurs in a traditional form, in person and online) or

in isolation (training occurs mainly in one of the

modes) (Nagaeva, 2016). Also, teaching methods

must correspond to the set goals which provides the

whole process with a certain flexibility and the

optimal combination of aspects that will lead to the

desired learning goal (Leifa, 2012).

At the same time, there are a few ways of

interaction between students and teachers in the

framework of blended learning, both individual

(student - computer, student - teacher), paired and

group (student - group of students, two students -

computer), etc. Moreover, the roles of a teacher

(instructor, assistant, source of information, partner,

coordinator) and a student (recipient of information,

partner in dialogue, expert in a certain field) in the

educational process become diverse, and the volume

and level of student's independent work increases

(leifa, 2012). This diversity engages various cognitive

mechanisms that stimulates students in their quest to

gain new knowledge.

A number of blended learning models should also

be distinguished here. They include the “Face-to-Face

Driver” Model, the Rotational Model (classroom,

laboratory, portioned, individual), Flex Model, Self-

blend Model and Enriched Virtual Learning Model

(Bielawski, 2003).

In the process of forming the intercultural

pedagogical communicative competence of future

teachers at the pre-university stage of pedagogical

training at Lyceum BSPU, we used the “Face-to-Face

Driver” Model, which included the use of e-learning

as an addition to the work program for tutorials

“Spotlight” and “Starlight” for the10th and 11th

grades for the subject "Foreign language." So, in the

format of face-to-face and distance lessons, we used

such methods as role-playing games, discussions,

debates, a round table, a speaking club and the CLIL

method, which allows you to master specific

knowledge and skills with the help of a foreign

language. The inclusion of these methods of

organizing joint activities with students in the

framework of the lesson allows you to create

conditions for the exhibition of the creative potential

of the individual, training the skills necessary for

entering into communication, gaining valuable

experience of working with a team, and learning to

distinguish when it becomes necessary to take

different roles and responsibilities for completing

various types of tasks.

To organize e-learning, we used the following

online resources:

1. British council.com- a site containing the

worksheets for ready-made lessons on various topics.

2. Wordwall.net - a site that allows you to create

your own tasks and games with unusual design and a

variety of visual effects.

3. Quizlet.com - an application for creating your

own flashcards with new vocabulary.

4. Miro.com is an online whiteboard with

unlimited possibilities that allows both teacher and

students to simultaneously bring about changes to

online content.

5. En.islcollective.com is an electronic library

with ready-made tutorials, including tutorials for

video materials.

6. Lyricstraining.com is a site aimed at training

listening skills with ready-made exercises and

colorful design for different levels.

7. Drive.google.com is a resource that allows you

to organize a quick and convenient distribution of

electronic materials.

8. Kahoot.com is a resource that allows you to

create entertaining quizzes and games on various

topics.

9. Playphrase.me is an electronic library

containing phrases from different films with

convenient search and navigation. By entering the

WFSDS 2021 - INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC FORUM ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIO-ECONOMIC SYSTEMS

558

lexical units of interest into the search bar, the user

gets the opportunity to watch an excerpt from the film

where it was used and do an exercise to practice it.

10. Ed.ted.com is a popular resource with a large

number of lectures on various topics from well-

known foreign speakers with ready-made exercises.

11. BBC learning English is a well-known

information resource site that offers educational

materials of different levels for English learners.

12. Visuwords.com is a site for memorizing

vocabulary and creating your own mindmaps

according to the templates suggested by the

developers.

Also, in order to carry out online communication,

we used platforms such as Zoom and Notion. The

latter is a flexible tool that resembles a notebook in its

multifunctionality, where each page can be organized

as it is convenient. Except for a simple text, you can

add any content to an online page: video, audio,

codes, tables, etc. The pages themselves can be

grouped, moved, and linked to each other. The result

is an organized workspace that stores all the

necessary information.

Taking into account the possibilities of the above

online resources and applications, in the 10th and

11th grades of Lyceum BSPU, a series of English

lessons, "Green English" was organized and

dedicated to the topic "Ecology" ("Environmental

issues"). According to the content of the modules

within the framework of the tutorials “Spotlight” and

“Starlight” for the 10 th and 11th grades, each of them

is presented in the “Green corner” section, in which

students are offered information on one of the

existing environmental problems for analysis.

Currently, this topic is one of the most discussed, and

the English-speaking societies expresses great

concern about the state of the environment and how

to preserve it. Just as well, this proposed topic has

aroused the interest of the pedagogical community on

how to make the educational process more

environmentally friendly and involve students in

preserving the environment.

Table 1: A series of English lessons "Green English.

Lesson Organization

Lesson 1 Studying the vocabulary with the flashcards made in Quizlet app and reading "Why organic farming?"

“Marine Litter” (Spotlight 10); “Save the whales”, “Global warming” (Starlight 10) “Will we all have

to leave home?” “Banking on the future” (Starlight 11) “Eco-tourism”, “Ocean noise pollution”

(Spotlight 11)

Discussion of the content of the texts in the form of an in- person classroom by dividing students into

small groups. An expert was appointed in each group, who subsequently helped the other groups to

identify the main problem of the text and find ways to solve this problem. Then the discussion of the

results of the group work was carried out in the open class format.

Lesson 2 Submitting the “Environmental Sustainability” video and vocabulary cards from Quizlet app using

Drive.google.com. Organizing an online lesson using the Zoom meeting platform to discuss the video.

Making a diagram in Notion application on the theme of the video materials and an online quiz made

on the Kahoot.com website.

Lesson 3 Discussion offline of an article from the printed edition “Financial Times” called "Can we save the

environment with economics?" and completing tasks for the proposed article from the onestopenglish

website. Dividing students into two micro groups (environmentalists and economists) and organizing

debates, in which each group had to defend their point of view, based on the content of the article and

the proposed template phrases for starting and developing communication in English.

Lesson 4 Creation of a poster using the Notion application in micro groups on the topic "Environmental issues

and solutions" and its presentation at an online meeting in the framework of “English Speaking Club

Online”, which was also attended by 4 schoolchildren from Vietnam, Italy, the USA and France, who

talked about those environmental problems which exist in their countries and what they have been

doing to solve them.

As it is presented in Table 1, conducting a series

of English lessons "Green English," we used blended

learning methods that allowed us to organize work

with future teachers in offline and distance formats

using various resources and applications. This

approach to the organization of the educational

process contributes to a better professional training of

future teachers for pedagogical activities and forms

the skills of entering into intercultural

communication. Blended learning allows you to gain

practical experience in using various methods of

organizing the educational process, as well as

experience in interacting with representatives of other

cultures in offline and online formats.

Formation of Intercultural Pedagogical Communicative Competence at the Pre-university Stage as a Factor of Sustainable Development of

Education

559

Figure 1: Indicators of COS of the future teachers before

participating in the pedagogical experiment.

Figure 2: Indicators of COS of the future teachers after

participating in the pedagogical experiment.

The effectiveness of using blended learning

methods in the process of forming intercultural

pedagogical communicative pedagogical competence

among future teachers was also revealed during the

assessment of communicative and organizational

skills (hereinafter COS 2) (Ocenka kommunikativnyh

i organizatorskih sposobnostej lichnosti, 2017). The

diagnostic results showed that before the inclusion of

Year 10 and 11 students of Lyceum BSPU in the

pedagogical experiment using blended learning

methods, most of them had a low level of COS (60%)

and 40% had an average level (Figure 1). However,

at the final stage of the pedagogical experiment, the

diagnostic results improved significantly. 55% of

future teachers reached a high level and 45% of them

an average, which confirmed the necessity to use

blended learning methods at the pre-university stage

in the process of forming intercultural pedagogical

communicative competence of future teachers

(Figure 2).

4 THE DISCUSSION OF THE

RESULTS

The study of the application of blended learning

methods was carried out by such specialists as I.A.

Nagaeva, I.V. Krivopalova, T.I. Krasnova, Mugenyi

Justice Kintu, Chang Zhu & Edmond Kagambe,

Nicky Hockley, Lindsay Clandfield and others.

However, most of them paid attention to the

disclosure of the concept of "blended learning" and

how it can be integrated into the full-time educational

process of schools and universities. On the other

hand, the question of using blended learning methods

in the process of developing intercultural

communication skills among future teachers at the

pre-university stage of education remains poorly

studied. In a multicultural educational environment,

the presence of these skills largely determines the

success of the organization of the pedagogical

activity, and the high level of their development

depends on how early this process was started. The

development of communication skills involves a

protracted period of time, and therefore the basic

preparation for entering into an intercultural dialogue

in the educational process should begin at the pre-

university stage of the study and be continued at a

university stage.

5 CONCLUSION

With this research in mind, we may conclude that this

set of blended learning methods is an integral

structure included in the educational process of the

lyceum and represents a special foundation for the

formation of intercultural pedagogical

communicative competence of future teachers at the

pre-university stage of pedagogical training in the

system of continuous pedagogical education.

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