TEACHING EAP TO DIGITAL GENERATION LEARNERS: DEVELOPING A GENERATION-SPECIFIC TEACHING STRATEGY

Abstract

The article focuses on developing an English language teaching course for the students of the digital generation in non-linguistic specialties. To develop the course, a theoretical analysis of the scholarly literature on the digital generation student characteristics and their attitude to online and blended learning environments was conducted. In addition, the empirical data obtained through pre/post-tests and a survey of the students who enrolled in an English for Academic Purposes (EAP) course was analysed. The experimental groups were offered an EAP course specially designed for digital generation students and the control groups were offered a traditional EAP course. The pre-instructional questionnaire was developed to identify the behaviour of the digital generation students in the context of foreign language learning. The end-course survey was used to analyse whether the participants’ perception of foreign language learning changed after completing the course. The pre-instructional and post-study language proficiency scores were compared across the experimental and control groups. The research findings indicated that the experimental groups showed a significant advantage over the control groups and expressed more positive attitudes to learning EAP. Practical implications suggest that tailoring foreign language teaching to the basic characteristics of digital generation learners can significantly improve its efficiency, resulting in a higher level of foreign language proficiency and leading to increased motivation to study a foreign language.