Development of foreign language competence of higher education students in the context of blended learning

Maryna Velushchak,Tetiana Kravchenko,Larysa Sokolovska,Tetiana Mykhailenko,Kateryna Havrylenko

doi:10.20952/revtee.v14i33.16671

Abstract

The circumstances of active implementation of a blended learning format at all educational levels require increased motivation and advancement of the competences learned by students of higher education institutions.Such statement equally applies to foreign language competence, which is one of most relevant skills to the future professional activity of international relations specialists. In considering this, the Ukrainian higher education institutions conducted a study on the development of foreign language competence of higher education students in the context of blended learning. The purpose of the article is to develop and empirically establish the effectiveness of the author's model of foreign language competence development of higher education students in the context of blended learning. The study involved the development, implementation and evaluation of the effectiveness of the author's model of foreign language competence development of higher education students in the context of blended learning. The participants of the study were students of higher education institutions: HEI 1, HEI 2, HEI 3, who majored in the following specialties: international activities, international relations and some technical specialities. The participants were 1st, 3rd and 5th year students.A total of 138 students were interviewed (68 from the experimental and 70 from the control group). The study confirmed that the implementation of the method of organizing the formation of foreign language competence of higher education students, which requires an optimal combination of blended learning with modern digital tools and the professional orientation of foreign language training in the system of higher education institutions, helps advance foreign language competence of higher education students.

Highlights

Knowledge, skills, and high level of foreign language proficiency form an essential component of professional competence of a modern specialist, being crucial in professional training of higher education students
Such students have toattain a high level of foreign language competence in order to achieve professionalism in their future activities and build their professional careers.Despite the fact that higher education institutions pay considerable attention to the development of foreign language competence of students, the teachers’ community is continuously searching, developing, testing and implementing effective technologies, methods, and techniques of teaching foreign languages to students majoring in international relations, applied physics and mathematics, nanotechnology, mining, ecology, and heat power engineering
The scientific researchwas focused on the elaboration of an author's model of foreign language competence development ofhigher education students in the context of blended learning

Summary

Introduction

Skills, and high level of foreign language proficiency form an essential component of professional competence of a modern specialist, being crucial in professional training of higher education students. For students majoring in purely technical specialties, in particular, future specialists in applied physics and mathematics, nanotechnology, mining, ecology, and heat power engineering, foreign language knowledge and skills are important since they open for students the opportunities for world achievements and exchange of experiences in a barrier-free communicative environment in these crucial areas of activity Such students have toattain a high level of foreign language competence in order to achieve professionalism in their future activities and build their professional careers.Despite the fact that higher education institutions pay considerable attention to the development of foreign language competence of students, the teachers’ community is continuously searching, developing, testing and implementing effective technologies, methods, and techniques of teaching foreign languages to students majoring in international relations, applied physics and mathematics, nanotechnology, mining, ecology, and heat power engineering. The active implementation of distance learning technologies into the overall training system in higher education institutions and observance of social restrictions necessary to combat the global pandemic have significantly transformed the educational process This highlighted the need to introduce models of blended learning as a certain consensus between traditional full-time and distance learning. Teeaching foreign languages in such conditions necessitates the implementationof particular corrective and adaptive methodological tools that might be effective in organizing the educational process focused on the acuisitionof foreign language competence in the blended learning format

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