UDC 378:004

Bocharova T.A.¹ (Khabarovsk, Russian Federation) – kitaal@yandex.ru

¹Pacific State University

Abstract. In the context of the digital transformation of modern education and the growing volume of available information, developing information and analytical competence in students of all fields of study, including future regional studies specialists, is particularly relevant. This competence is viewed as an integrative professional quality encompassing the ability to search, critically evaluate, process, visualize, interpret, and generate forecasts based on data. This article substantiates the feasibility of using electronic databases of foreign trade relations (UN Comtrade, WTO Statistics, and data from the Federal Customs Service of the Russian Federation) as a didactic tool in training specialists in international regional studies. The methodological basis of the study is modern approaches to developing professional competencies, regional studies theory, and information and analytical activities. The paper analyzes the potential of using various electronic resources to develop the professional skills of future specialists. It is emphasized that open statistical databases have a number of limitations (methodological heterogeneity, time delays, errors, and a lack of contextual information), making working with them an independent professional task. This article presents a theoretical justification for the step-by-step development of information and analytical competence when working with foreign trade data. It identifies and describes five sequential stages: familiarization with the database structure, searching for and downloading relevant data, processing it (cleaning, filtering, and aggregation), visualization using modern tools (OEC, WITS, and GIS technologies), and interpretation of the results, taking into account the regional context and limitations of the source data. A case study, “Asia in Figures 2023–2026,” is also used as an example for students at Pacific National University as part of their course “Information and Communication Technologies in Professional Activity.” The results demonstrate that systematic mastery of the stages of foreign trade statistics analysis contributes to the transformation of students’ professional thinking and bridges the gap between theoretical training and the practical challenges of regional analytics.

Keywords: information and analytical competence, electronic databases, data analysis, foreign trade statistics, professional competencies.

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For citation: Bocharova, T. A. (2026). Development of information and analytical competence of students of regional studies when working with electronic databases of foreign trade relations. CITISE, 3, 56-70. (In Russian).