INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION AND MANAGERIAL SOCIOCULTURAL PRACTICES : FOREIGN TEACHERS IN THE PRC

Management approaches to hiring foreign teachers in higher education institutions in the PRC combine globalization trends and national educational traditions. The relevance of the study is determined by the role of foreign teachers as agents of intercultural exchange, which contributes to the development of an inclusive educational environment, intercultural competence, and the international image of Chinese education. The objective of the article is to explore the sociocultural and managerial aspects of the activities of foreign teachers in the PRC as a factor of cross-cultural interaction and educational integration. The methodological basis consists of systemic, activity-based, and cultural approaches, which allow us to consider the hiring of foreign teachers as a complex sociocultural and managerial process. The methods of theoretical analysis and generalization of literature, comparative analysis of personnel management practices, as well as sociocultural analysis of adaptation and intercultural communication processes were used. The empirical basis consists of personal observations and work experience in Chinese higher education institutions and cases of foreign teacher integration, supplemented by the results of the Ukrainian-Chinese project «Education in a Globalized Society». The results show that the management of foreign personnel recruitment includes the selection, adaptation, and support of teachers in a multicultural environment, promoting cultural integration and the development of sociocultural practices. Foreign teachers create an environment for intercultural dialogue and support universities as centers of sociocultural development. The recruitment of foreign teachers in PRC integrates legal, organizational, and cultural-communicative components, creating conditions for the development of an intercultural educational environment. Foreign teachers perform pedagogical, managerial, and sociocultural functions, promote adaptation to global approaches, shape a «glocal» educational environment, and support cultural integration and the overcoming of stereotypes. Sociocultural practices, experience, and cultural capital are important resources for enhancing critical thinking, ensuring the integration of global and local approaches, overcoming cultural barriers, and creating space for cultural synergy and international dialogue. The practical significance of the results lies in their application to improve the policy of internationalization of education, develop adaptation programs for foreign teachers, develop the sociocultural management of universities, and strengthen the role of education as a tool for cultural diplomacy and cross-cultural interaction.