USING SOCIAL NETWORKS IN TEACHING ESP TO ENGINEERING STUDENTS

Nataliia Saienko,Inna Akhmad,Oksana Semyda

doi:10.20535/2410-8286.198083

Abstract

The present study examines students’ and teachers’ views on and attitudes to the use of different social networks in teaching English for specific purposes (ESP) to future engineers. It focuses on the types of work social networks can be used for, on language skills they help develop. The study was conducted with a survey method. The research was held at the National Technical University of Ukraine “Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute” and the sample was 170 full-time students of Energy Management and Energy Saving Institute and 60 lecturers of the Department of English for Engineering. It was conducted during December-February of 2019 – 2020 academic year. Within the context of the research, the students’ and teachers’ surveys were conducted. They were asked about their experience in using social networks and their application concerning university-related work and studies. The analysis of responses in the questionnaires showed that students and their teachers have a positive perception of using social media networks for English for specific purposes teaching in the classroom and outside. From the conducted research, we can conclude that using social networks is effective in ESP teaching and these advanced technologies can improve students’ ESP proficiency, enhance their motivation for studying foreign languages, and can be used as corpora of authentic materials. The results of this research may be used for other studies concerning ESP teaching and technology application in this process.

Highlights

The researchers’ interest in social networks (SNs) is growing due to their popularity and scientists regard using social networks for social communication and suggest a new educative approach in applying them
The online survey conducted in the USA in 2014 claims that users engage with major social networks predominantly via mobile and that desktop usage has largely lowered while mobile usage continues to increase
We think that an English for specific purposes (ESP) teacher should accept such a challenge and be able to ensure up to date knowledge via technological advances and be ready to efficiently implement these advances into their teaching practice

Summary

Introduction

The researchers’ interest in social networks (SNs) is growing due to their popularity and scientists regard using social networks for social communication and suggest a new educative approach in applying them. The first wave is marked by the appearance of computer technologies and the Internet use in the classroom for teaching and learning. Many scientists became interested in researching SNs influence on the language learning process (Hadoussa & Menif, 2019; Bernal & Fondevila-Gascon, 2015). They consider that using SNs for language teaching can provide positive aspiration, promote the implementation of blended learning and help students develop their autonomy. Alongside with this research, we should mention the study of CarrióPastor (2015) on online activities for language learning.

Objectives

Results

Conclusion