WAYS TO MOTIVATE THERAPY AND REHABILITATION SPECIALISTS TO MASTER A FOREIGN LANGUAGE (EXEMPLIFIED BY ENGLISH)

Abstract

Nowadays, English remains one of the global languages, and therefore, the study of English is an integral part of professional training in a higher education institution. Practice shows that university students majoring in therapy and rehabilitation experience difficulties of mastering the language and insufficient motivation. Purpose is to analyze the motivation of university students majoring in therapy and rehabilitation to master English. Material. It was conducted a questionnaire and a survey of university students (n = 50) majoring in therapy and rehabilitation. Results. Given that English is now one of the most common languages of communication, there is an urgent need for rehabilitation specialists to master it to access advanced technologies and participate in various conferences, courses, and workshops organized and led by leading scientists and practitioners in English. The results of the questionnaire and the survey allowed evaluating English proficiency at the time of university enrolment and after studying for 4 semesters: before starting university study, 40 % of students had A1, 50 % – A2, 10 % – B1; after completing the English course at the university (after 4 semesters of study), 10 % had A1, 20 % – A2, 70 % – B1. The above data show a sufficient advance in the English language proficiency. However, it can be noted that no student has reached B2 and above. Survey findings on students’ desire to undertake further study of English are divided as follows: 50 % are willing to undertake further study at the university, and 50 % are not. Conclusions. University students realize that a command of English will allow a therapy and rehabilitation specialist to provide rehabilitation services, feel free to communicate with English-speaking patients and be abreast of modern achievements in rehabilitation, which will subsequently increase competitiveness in the labor market.