Abstract:

When investigating a problem of multicultural personality development, we proceed from the doctrine of the diversity of languages and cultures, of the significance of different cultures and languages interaction, reflecting the need to understand the world as a holistic and non-linear system. We understand the essence of the personal multilingual and multicultural space as the formation of a new direction of thinking related to the state of human openness for continuous development, tolerance, readiness to revise his views, his ability to positively perceive unfamiliar phenomena of the world.

The research aims at finding out an efficient way of university students’ multicultural personality development. It examines how to teach speaking skills starting with the elementary level and how to encourage students to speak English and use the target language in real world providing genuine communication opportunities through cross-cultural training programs. The model of multicultural personality development includes such components as communicative, cross-cultural, multilingual, linguacultural. The model is based on linguo-didactic principles: principle of communication, situational-thematic organization of educational material, functionality, presentation of cognitive structures of the language or non-linguistic system; the principle of taking into account potential communication topics and their corresponding speech intentions; principle of field presentation of lexical and grammatical material; the principle of parallel representation of the cognitive structures of reality and the cognitive structures of the language system reflecting them; the principle of taking into account the strategy and tactics of monolog and conversation.

The purpose of the paper is to present the cross-cultural training programs in the model of multicultural personality development which can be easily integrated into classroom activities. The purpose of the cross-cultural training programs is to implement such effective learning methods as intensive practice through communicative tasks, real-life lesson models and cultural situations, critical thinking with the help of provocative audio and video interviews, talks, storytelling and interactive tasks. The cross-cultural training programs are designed to make an exciting activity out of ordinary learning experience that will present the English language and culture in all their aspects.

The developed cross-cultural training programs were successfully introduced into an education process and changed the learners’ motivation and attitude for the better. The results of placement and final tests reliably show a significant improvement in the way the students use the language after they have mastered the basic skills. All the participants admitted they had enjoyed the blend of classroom and online activities. The satisfaction survey shows that the cross-cultural training programs guide learners and teachers to the effective use of various interaction patters. It helps students feel more confident in natural real-life conversations and everyday communication.

Keywords:

Model of multicultural personality development, speaking skills, communication opportunities, cross-cultural training programs.