AN ICT-MEDIATED CONSTRUCTIVIST APPROACH IN INCREASING ACADEMIC MOTIVATION VIA CLIL

Abstract

The Russian educational system is facing a certain transition of educational paradigms towards constructivist approach. According to this theory, a teacher should create favourable learning environment for student’s successful self-development. Constructivist approach being rapidly developed as an educational phenomenon can cause a number of difficulties due to its spontaneity. Nevertheless the authors consider the following approach to be mostly suitable for Master’s degree programmes with Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) being the core element that will provide successful implementation of constructivism into educational process. The article presents the results of the empirical study of defining and assessing the degree of Master students’ academic motivation in terms of CLIL and ICT–education based on constructivist approach. The studied motives are communicative motives, avoidance motives, motives of prestige, professional motives, motives of creative self-realization, educational and social motives. The study displayed a number of challenges that Master students faced when developing on-line-based CLIL modules and the way the following challenges influenced their academic motivation.