University Students’ Readiness for Effective Intercultural Interaction during the Pandemic: Role of COVID-19 Fear (Russians Experience)

Abstract

The article presents the results of an online survey conducted in January — April 2021 among Russian university students aged 18 to 25 years (N = 579). The study concerns the nature of the relationship between psychophysiological and psychoemotional manifestations of fear of COVID-19 (as markers of dysfunctional and functional fears) with indicators of readiness for effective intercultural interaction. The authors tested two hypotheses regarding (1) the negative relationship between the manifestations of dysfunctional fear and the components of intercultural competence and (2) the absence of relationship between the manifestations of functional fear of COVID-19 and the components of intercultural competence during the pandemic. Within the study, the latter are interpreted as the markers of students' readiness for effective intercultural interaction. The survey was conducted using the COVID-19 Fear Scale (FCV-19S) and the Integrative Intercultural Competency Questionnaire. Based on this data, the authors performed multiple regression analysis controlling for gender, age, economic status, number of foreign languages that the respondents know, international mobility experience, level of religiosity, and personal experience with COVID-19.

As a result of the study, the first hypothesis was fully confirmed, while the second hypothesis was confirmed partially. It has been revealed that a dysfunctional fear of COVID-19 may hinder effective intercultural interaction among Russian students during the pandemic, while a functional fear of COVID-19, on the contrary, may contribute to the growth of such an indicator of intercultural competence as a tendency to manage intercultural interaction. A decrease in readiness for productive intercultural interaction in the context of the pandemic among students with a pronounced dysfunctional fear of coronavirus can be explained by the mechanisms for the development of xenophobia and prejudice in a situation of threat. Additionally, it can also be a consequence of the psychological mechanism of regression, which is actualized in conditions of strong negative emotional experience. The positive contribution of the functional fear of COVID-19 to the propensity to manage intercultural interaction may be a consequence of the students’ need to control an uncertain situation during the pandemic, which is also manifested in the field of intercultural communication.

Acknowledgments. The article was prepared within the framework of the Basic Research Program at HSE University.