Original scientific paper
The relationship between children’s social and intercultural competence
Vesna Buljubašić Kuzmanović
orcid.org/0000-0003-0039-0697
; The Department of Pedagogy, the Faculty of Philosophy The University of J. J. Strossmayer in Osijek, Osijek, Croatia
Goran Livazović
orcid.org/0000-0002-0277-5534
; The Department of Pedagogy, the Faculty of Philosophy The University of J. J. Strossmayer in Osijek, Osijek, Croatia
Abstract
The goal of this research is learning to what extent do social skills, as dimensions of desirable and socially competent behavior, contain, explain and predict intercultural competence of elementary school students who attend 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th grade. (N = 593). Multidimensional criterion of children’s social competence was operationalized through 17 variables whose quality of development was assessed by students and their class masters. The result comparison indicates that surveyed students estimate their social competence more positively than their teachers do, and that girls are more socially competent than boys. Factor analysis of the scale of social skills shows that children’s competence is mostly determined by concern for others, recognition of feelings and needs of others and agreement with others. All of those determinants are prediction terms of intercultural competence. Social, and with it intercultural behavior, is mostly determined by the ability of solving human conflicts, concern for others, willingness to cooperate, helping and compromise. This research supports modern propensities of curriculum based on results of learning, standards and competencies that stimulate openness, flexibility, interculturality, inclusiveness and learner-centered approach.
Keywords
school; students; skills; behavior; social and intercultural competence
Hrčak ID:
82372
URI
Publication date:
30.6.2010.
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