MULTICULTURALISM AS A СOMPONENT OF STUDENTS’ CIVIC COMPETENCE IN HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS

Abstract

The article examines multiculturalism as a component of university students’ civic competence.The relevance is determined by the acceleration of processes of globalisation during large-scale epidemics, military conflicts, and man-made and natural disasters. The purpose of the article is to provide a theoretical justification of the multicultural component of students’ civic competence, to characterise its structural components, and to propose pathways for its development in higher education institutions. The study employs a set of general scientific theoretical methods of enquiry. It is established that the multicultural component of civic competence is characterised by the integration of cognitive, value–motivational and behavioural components that foster students’ awareness of cultural diversity, the development of empathy and respect for others, and the ability to engage in dialogue and interaction within a multicultural environment. It is argued that the effective development of this component requires coherent educational policy, the use of innovative teaching methods, the integration of courses in multicultural education or civic education and global citizenship, as well as the cultivation of educational practices that promote intercultural communication. Methodological recommendations are proposed for creating a multicultural educational environment in higher education aimed at preparing students as responsible citizens in a globalised world. The approaches and analytical logic presented align with current trends in education policy and quality assurance. The synthesis of scholarly sources helps delineate the conceptual–categorical field of the study and demonstrates the complementarity of theoretical and practical aspects of the problem. The generalisations obtained may be used to refine programme content, develop didactic materials and formative assessment of learning outcomes, and support further empirical verification across diverse higher education contexts. This underlines the applied significance of the findings and the promise of the topic’s further development.