Abstract
The paper concerns the project work during foreign language learning by international students in HEIs. There is the assumption that project work may influence positively international students' mastering a foreign (Ukrainian) language. The article aims to characterize the project activity and prove whether it can improve students' foreign language acquisition. The theoretical (analysis, generalization) and empirical (observation, testing, and experiment) methods were used. The experiment was conducted in which 32 first-year international students participated. Both the experimental (n=16) and control (n=16) groups were pre-tested and post-tested in September and December 2020 respectively. Students' skills in reading, writing, listening, speaking and use of language were checked. The data received before the experiment demonstrated almost a similar level of language acquisition in both groups. The results of the experiment pointed out improvement of the experimental group's members in every facet of the foreign language. The key points which impacted positively students' achievements were social-cultural topics meeting their interests, specially elaborated program of the project, and teachers' support. These findings proved the desirability of including project work in teaching HE foreign language courses for international students.
Highlights
Rapid integration processes in various spheres of politics, economics, culture, ideology, mixing and displacement of nations and languages, internationalization of higher education actualize the problem of intercultural communication, mutual understanding of communication participants belonging to different cultures
Regarding the first-year international students, their preferable communicative area is social-cultural which is in line with the foreign language course of the HE (Lushchyk et al, 2020)
This study considered how project activity dealing with social-cultural content can be implemented in the context of foreign language learning by international students to foster them to use their language skills to wider knowledge and perform the task
Summary
Rapid integration processes in various spheres of politics, economics, culture, ideology, mixing and displacement of nations and languages, internationalization of higher education actualize the problem of intercultural communication, mutual understanding of communication participants belonging to different cultures. The number of international students who get higher education at Ukrainian universities, both in English and Ukrainian, is growing every year. These processes require changes in teaching methodology and solving new problems in the theory and practice of teaching foreign languages. We share the opinion that the activity approach is based on the recognition of activity as the basis, means and decisive condition for the development of creative and active personality It this particular approach that makes it possible to avoid the gap between theoretical knowledge and its use in practice (Biletska et al, 2021)
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