FORMING THE CREATIVE POTENTIAL OF HIGHER EDUCATION STUDENTS IN THE CONTEXT OF INTERNATIONAL ACADEMIC MOBILITY

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to provide a theoretical justification and empirical analysis of the impact of international academic mobility on the formation of the creative potential of higher education students, as well as to identify the pedagogical conditions for the development of creative thinking among students in an international and intercultural educational environment. The research methodology is based on a combination of systemic, personality-oriented, activity-based, and sociocultural approaches. The research process involved the use of theoretical methods of analysis, synthesis, comparison, generalization, and systematization of scientific sources and regulatory and legal documents in the field of higher education, as well as empirical methods of generalizing educational experience and analyzing the results of students participation in international academic mobility programs. The scientific novelty of the article lies in a comprehensive consideration of international academic mobility as a holistic pedagogical phenomenon that acts as an effective mechanism for shaping the creative potential of higher education students. The content of the concepts of “creativity” “creative thinking” and “creative potential” in the context of the internationalization of higher education is clarified; the role of intercultural interaction, academic freedom, variability of educational practices, and the combination of formal and informal learning in the development of students creative thinking is substantiated. The conclusions emphasize that international academic mobility creates a favorable educational environment for the development of the creative potential of higher education students, contributes to the improvement of creative thinking, intercultural competence, linguistic and communicative flexibility, independence, and readiness for innovative professional activity. A summary of the regional experience of Vasyl Stefanyk Carpathian National University has demonstrated the effectiveness of student participation in Erasmus+ programs, semester studies abroad, and international youth exchanges as a factor in the holistic development of the creative potential of future specialists in a globalized educational space.