FORMATION OF FOREIGN STUDENTS’ SOCIAL COMPETENCE SWOT-ANALYSIS
Authors:   Alfred Nobel University, Lukatska Yana S. 
Published: January 2022

The paper presents the results of SWOT-analysis of social competence of foreign students to define strengths and weaknesses of students, opportunities and threats to environment which influence the process of social competence formation. Vocational education aims at professional development and personal formation; the student acquires certain knowledge, skills, and competences that allow to participate in activities of social and working life. Higher educational establishments face the task of helping foreign students to become socially competent, i.e. to master a high level of social competence. Formation of social competence of students was studied by many Ukrainian and foreign scientists, but the social competence of foreign students has not been researched and there have been no attempts to analyse the initial data (internal and external) that influence its formation. Before choosing the means for the formation and development of social competence, it is necessary to assess its initial level, the potential of foreign students, also external environmental factors that affect this process. For this purpose, SWOT-analysis can be conducted. The SWOT-analysis method was primarily used in political and corporate management for strategic planning; for pedagogical purpose it helps to get the general knowledge about the current state, development of the situation, and then for creation of a model of behavioural strategies in the educational process. At the first stage of the analysis, information is collected about the internal factors (advantages and disadvantages) of the investigated object and about the external factors (favourable and threatening) that affect its activities. The collected data are analysed according to the following vectors: strengthening of internal advantages by external opportunities; elimination of external threats due to internal advantages; overcoming internal disadvantages due to external opportunities; promoting the elimination of internal weaknesses. To reveal the strengths and weaknesses and to identify environmental factors that influence the formation of social competence of foreign students, a survey was conducted in Dnipro State Agrarian and Economic University and Alfred Nobel University (Dnipro) among foreign students and teachers who work with them. From the SWOT-analysis it is seen that the motivation of foreign students, the willingness to be engaged in extracurricular activities are the drivers of the process of forming social competence; foreign students are tolerant to other cultures, they are ready to improve their communication with others. The maximum attention teachers should pay to the issues of social and emotional intelligence, communication skills; and also the students should be acquainted with the social roles of the new environment. Regarding external factors of influence, the issues of pedagogical support of foreign students and lack of their involvement in extracurricular activities need to be corrected. Also, mixed groups can be the opportunity to improve the situation with involving foreign students into extracurricular activities. Highly qualified teachers and general humanization of the educational process are the factors to be relied upon in forming social competence of foreign students. On the basis of the given research the pedagogical conditions for the formation of social competence of foreign students can be formulated and the methods for successful educational process are chosen.