PECULIARITIES OF METACOGNITIVE COMPETENCE DEVELOPED BY STUDENTS OF NON-LINGUISTIC SPECIALTIES AT ENGLISH LANGUAGE CLASSES

Abstract

The article deals with the issue of metacognitive competence formation at students of non-linguistic specialties who study foreign languages at universities. The author defines the notion of metacognitive competence within the competence-based and person-centered approach to learning process. According to the literature review, it is stated that the term of metacognitive competence has been used for about 30 years by foreign scientists, and only some last years by the Ukrainian ones. That fact confirms insufficient awareness of the issue in Ukraine. The article reveals absence of common understanding of the concept “metacognitive competence” by the researchers, as they define it as “knowledge, abilities, and skills of effective learning”, “high motivation for learning”, “abilities and skills of effective interaction in learning,” and “abilities and skills of ongoing self-monitoring and self-regulation”.  The author defines metacognitive competence as a set of knowledge, abilities, and skills of learning and interaction in the learning process due to certain personal characteristics. The main components of metacognitive competence of university students are mentioned in the text – motivation represented with educational motives, cognition represented with knowledge about ways of learning, management represented with the skills of practical fulfillment of the optimum training strategies, and the communication represented with abilities and skills needed for teamwork. During 2017–2018 and 2018–2019 academic years the author researched the English classes effectiveness that included workshop elements, aimed at developing metacognitive competence. One hundred first-year students of National University of “Kyiv-Mohyla Academy” that studied the subject “General English” were surveyed. Their initial knowledge level was B1 (Intermediate). The study has shown high effectiveness of English classes with psychotraining elements, aimed at developing metacognitive competence in students. The following results were reached: increased responsibility and educational independence levels, increased realization of the necessity to study English for personal and professional needs, increase in the cognition component of metacognitive competence as well as improved teamwork skills. Further studies of metacognitive competence developed by the students of various specialties within the context of their English language studies at Ukrainian institutions of higher education were suggested. &nbsp