INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION AND PATRIOTIC EDUCATION: CHALLENGES AND PROSPECTS OF INTEGRATED FOREIGN LANGUAGE LEARNING

Abstract

The paper examines the relationship between intercultural communication and patriotic education within the framework of integrated foreign language teaching in higher education. The purpose is to identify effective pedagogical approaches that ensure the development of students’ intercultural competence alongside civic and patriotic consciousness in the context of globalization and digital transformation. The study employed qualitative research methods – observation, semi-structured interviews, surveys, and content analysis of students’ project work – conducted within blended learning environments at Ukrainian universities. The methodological basis combined Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) with value-based and communicative approaches. The findings reveal that integrating patriotic and intercultural components into foreign language lessons significantly enhances students’ linguistic proficiency, empathy, moral reflection, and awareness of national identity. The CLIL-based model proved effective in fostering intercultural dialogue grounded in respect for one’s own culture. The research emphasizes that patriotic education complements rather than contradicts global openness, promoting students’ readiness for responsible citizenship in multicultural societies. The study substantiates the necessity of integrating civic and moral values into language education. Such synthesis fosters linguistically competent, ethically conscious, and globally minded citizens capable of intercultu-ral interaction and democratic participation.