The Effectiveness of Listening and Speaking Activities in Developing Students' Communicative Competence When Learning a Foreign Language

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to assess students` level of communicative competencies when learning a foreign language on the basis of which to substantiate the effectiveness of listening and speaking activities in the development of students' communicative competencies when learning a foreign language. The survey was based on teachers and students of Far Eastern Federal University (Russia) were surveyed; there were thirty-five university teachers and 240 first- and second-year students aged 18-20 took. The results of the study showed that students have difficulty in speaking, which necessitates the introduction of effective listening and speaking practices into the curriculum. The results also were based on the fact that teachers confirmed poor communicative skills of students and outlined various speaking activities in the study of a foreign language, which can contribute to the development of students' communicative competencies. The experimental stage of the study focused on the implementation of the pedagogical model showed that in the experimental group there was a rapid decrease in the number of students with the low level of competencies (from 25.25% to 11.62%) and an increase in the number of students with the high (up to 36.87%) and average (up to 51.52%) levels of competencies. Practical significance of the study is explained by the ability to use the developed tests to determine the level of students' communication skills, and the developed program can be used to develop and improve listening and speaking skills. The prospects for further research can be based on the opportunity to define the role of psychological and pedagogical disciplines in the formation of students' communicative competencies, develop scientific and methodological support for the formation of communicative competencies in the course of studying special disciplines.