Content and language training of master's degree students as a means of forming bilingual competence of a future specialist in the field of professional communication

Abstract

Introduction. Russian universities attempting to introduce the content and language integrated learning model into the educational process at the levels of bachelor's degree and master's degree face risks and difficulties caused by the lack of a "balance" between substantive competencies and foreign language communicative competence of both the teacher and the students. The purpose of the article is to present the local experience of using the model of content and language integrated learning as a means of forming bilingual competence in the field of professional communication by the example of training masters based on the "Deutsch Lehren Lernen" ("Learning to teach German") program. Materials and methods. The study involved 87 first- and second-year students of the full-time master's program (direction of training "Pedagogical Education") at Krasnoyarsk State Pedagogical University named after V.P. Astafiev during 2017–2020. The main research methods were forecasting, design, prolonged monitoring of the results of learning, a questionnaire survey, and McNemar's statistical test. Results. The experimental use of the model of forming content and language bilingual competence of master's degree students showed an increase in the coefficient of assimilation of the content of the educational material of the components of the integrated disciplines to the high one (0.95 > x > 0.80) and the sufficient one (0.80 > x > 0.65). There is a high level of forming the content and language bilingual competence in all types of speech activity: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. After completing the metasubject course, students can correctly and logically use subject knowledge in speech activity in German (p < 0.04), master the terminological minimum according to the methodology of teaching German (p < 0.01). Discussion. The assumption was confirmed about the possibility of forming bilingual competence of master's degree students subject to the design and implementation algorithm of the content and language integrated learning model, which includes: a) the development of criteria for selecting subjects for interdisciplinary integration; b) taking into account the balance of universal, professional, and linguistic competencies formed in the process of integration; c) focus on the practice-oriented nature of the research training of master's degree students. Conclusion. The results of the research can be used in metasubject design and practical implementation of the process of forming bilingual competence of a future specialist in the field of professional communication at the master's degree level.