The Importance of Sociocultural Competence in a Globalized World

   A major challenge that people face in the increasingly globalized world is how to function successfully in a new cultural environment, in a country with different values, sociocultural rules, and norms of behavior. Hence, one of the main features of a successful person nowadays is the skills in intercultural communication. These skills can be formed at the English language lessons with the elements of culture study. At these lessons a good learner of culture develops new perspectives, learns new mental, emotional, and behavioral responses, studies to build intercultural bridges and in the end becomes a new cultural person.

   It should be stressed here that culture learning is more than getting over culture shock or getting used to life in a new country. It is the process of personal growth and transformation, gaining sociocultural competence. By the way sociocultural competence helps not only to survive but achieve success in an increasingly interdependent global society. Besides it plays a great role in achieving proficiency in a foreign language.

   As a result sociocultural competence has become a significant part of foreign language teaching.

   Scientists define sociocultural competence as the ability to behave appropriately in the specific situations, to choose the appropriate form of social etiquette, to decode the social code of the partner, to use different vocabulary, to understand the meanings of the words in the definite context, etc.   

   According to the Common European Framework (2005), sociocultura competence involves five elements:

- Attitudes: curiosity and openness, readiness to suspend disbelief about other cultures and belief about one's own.

- Knowledge: of social groups and their products and practices in one's own and in one's interlocutor's country, and of the general processes of societal and individual interaction.

- Skills of interpreting and relating: ability to interpret a document or event from another culture, to explain it and to relate it to documents from one's own.

- Skills of discovery and interaction: ability to acquire new knowledge of culture and cultural practices and the ability to operate knowledge, attitudes, and skills under the constraints of real-time communication and interaction.

- Critical cultural awareness/political education: an ability to evaluate critically and on the basis of explicit criteria perspectives, practices and products in one's own and other cultures and countries.

   Sociocultural competence comprises the following attitudes and skills:

- observing, identifying and recognizing

- comparing and contrasting

- negotiating meaning

- dealing with or tolerating ambiguity

- effectively interpreting messages

- limiting the possibility of misinterpretation

- defending one's own point of view while acknowledging the legitimacy of others

- accepting difference.

    The process of developing students’ sociocultural incorporates the following eight basic stages, the first five of which are primarily teacher-associated and the final three are student-associated:

1. Identification of a cultural theme

2. Presentation of cultural phenomena

3. Dialogue (target/native cultures)

4. Transition to language learning

5. Language learning

6. Verification of perceptions (target/native culture)

7. Cultural awareness

8. Evaluation of language and cultural proficiency.

   In fact applying a single model of intercultural training may not sufficiently prepare participants to function properly and effectively in a new cultural environment. Better results may be achieved through a combination of several training models. A more effective outcome may be achieved by devising specific training techniques: case studies, critical-incident case studies based on real-life experience of the learners, simulations, role playing, team projects, experiential learning, etc.

   At the lessons the students take part in guided discussions, role-plays, solving intercultural incidents, doing exercises on critical thinking, presentations of projects.

   These techniques enable the students to:

- understand the concept of intercultural awareness;

- recognize the origins of their own cultural values, assumptions and attitudes and the way in which their values affect their perception of others;

- identify causes of intercultural misunderstandings;

- explore how their perception of their own character, attitudes and behavior might influence their cultural learning;

- recognize personal skills affecting their ability to adapt to living and working abroad;

- develop attitudes and strategies which will help adapt to life in a foreign country and operate autonomously in that country;

- observe, monitor and report on their own cultural learning;

- transfer their intercultural competence into their employability.

   There are also many other possibilities that students may use to increase their sociocultural awareness, sensitivity and competence. Namely, participation in Language Discussion clubs, e-mail correspondence with native speakers, communication with people of different cultures at the lessons, attending special course of Intercultural Communication. They all are means of exploration of another culture.                  

REFERENCES

1. Common European Framework (2005). Acquiring Sociocultural Competence www.lancs.ac.uk

2. Galskova N.D. (2000) Modern Methodic of Teaching a Foreign Language. M.: Arkti-Glossa, 265 p.

3. Juan C Vegas Puente (2006) Different Views on Sociocultural Competence..google. com/itselj.org

4. Kohls L.R. (2006) Developing Intercultural Awareness. Yarmouth. 365p

5. Zhanna Korotkikh. Training For Effective Intercultural Communication http://www. prof. msu. ru/ publ/ omsk2/ o32.