Foreign Language Classes Research Articles

DEVELOPING INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE OF FUTURE NAVIGATORS AS A BACKGROUND OF EFFECTIVE INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION

The article aims to study the resources that can be used by foreign language teachers of universities to achieve standards of higher education and the development of intercultural competence as an integral part of the professional education of modern experts and background for effective intercultural communication. This leads to the importance of developing respect for other cultures, tolerance, empathy, desire to learn about foreign cultures, etc. And thus, it enables the development of a global expert who easily adapts to the modern requirements of society in an intercultural environment. The article analyses relevant scientific papers and the requirements for modern experts in the development of intercultural competence. This makes it possible to say that an important task of teaching intercultural competence is to develop students’ ability to participate in intercultural dialogue, taking into account the principles of cooperation and mutual respect, forming a sense of belonging to their own culture. Based on the theory of high-context and low-context cultures, the authors made a comparative description of the representatives of Ukrainian, Philipino, Indian and Greek cultures, because Ukrainian sailors work mostly in this international crew. The features of the cultures presented in the table make it easier to adapt to the intercultural environment and understand and tolerate intercultural differences. The article offers practical assignments for the development of intercultural competence at foreign language classes in higher education institutions, including maritime English.

Gamified flipped learning in a French foreign language class: Efficiency and student perception

To enhance student engagement in a French foreign language course, two active learning methods were combined: Flipped learning and gamification. This study aimed to explore the efficiency of these teaching methods in a foreign language course with beginner learners and to assess student's perception of the experience. A total of 215 students were enrolled in this university elective course. All sections were taught by the same instructor during one semester. All students experienced both the flipped learning methodology and a traditional teaching approach. The results indicate that students' scores in the gamified quizzes were better when they prepared in advance for the sessions and had a flipped learning session. Moreover, in a questionnaire that was completed at the end of the term, students reported that they preferred the flipped learning sessions because such sessions helped them to better understand and memorize the textual material. Students also appreciated the use of gamification tools to help them learn with interest.

The Use of Ambonesse Songs to Integrate English Learning and Culture Appreciation: a Classroom Action Research

Foreign language class most often utilized learning materials with American or European background or from West Indonesian content. The English textbook used in schools rarely provides content material from where the students live (source/native Culture) such as Ambon, Maluku. Therefore, teachers must strive to provide an additional activity or materials that incorporate the local values and wisdom to the foreign language class. Ambonese songs are utilized as learning materials and classroom activities in an English Class. This classroom action research aimed to develop students’ vocabulary and engaging them with the local wisdom and values by rewriting and performing the Maluku songs in English. This paper will describe how to the Ambonese songs are used in the learning, the development of student’s vocabulary, students’ feedback, and some lesson learned from the process. The result shows that the teacher was satisfied with the process. Vocabulary was improved and retained and in overall students welcomed a different approach in learning English and learning about their culture as well.

Diagnosis of the levels of development of Higher Education students' cognitive activity in the process of learning a foreign language using ICT during practical classes

The article covers the issues of diagnosing the levels of development of the higher education students' cognitive activity in the process of learning a foreign language using ICT. Diagnosis allowed studying the level of students' motivation to learn a foreign language, as well as to determine the students' attitude to using ICT during the foreign language practical classes. Priority forms of conducting foreign language practical classes for students have been identified. Based on Bloom's Taxonomy, a program for using ICT in practical foreign language classes has been developed and outlined. Criteria and indicators for the development of higher education students' cognitive activity in the process of learning a foreign language using ICT are highlighted. The results of the study are described.

Effect of Text-Only vs. Video Enhanced Instructions to Tasks on Language Comprehension in a Foreign Language Online Course

This paper aims to explore the effect of types of instructions to tasks, text only vs. video enhanced, on student engagement and language production in an online learning environment. The online learning platforms are text heavy. Although teachers have incorporated video explanations and audio-visual input, the linguistic input in the form of “instructions to tasks” has remained mostly in text form. In face-to-face foreign language classes the moments where teachers explain the task are considered valuable linguistic input teaching moments that appear to be lost in the online environment. The purpose of this project is to evaluate if there is a significant difference in quantity and quality of language production by the student depending on what format the instructions to tasks. Secondary to this goal is exploring what are the students’ attitudes and preferences towards the format of those instructions. Results from this small-scale study show that participants in the video enhance group displayed a tendency to enriched quantity and quality of language production. The context of this study is the foreign language classroom, but it can benefit other content areas as well.

Key Concepts in the Theoretical Description of Verbal Politeness

Annotation: This article deals with politeness theory which is of great importance in interpersonal communication. Politeness is characterized from the pragmalinguistics point of view, examples are given to demonstrate the presence and absence of politeness in the Hispanic discourse. Suggestions are provided on how to teach students politeness strategies in Spanish as a foreign language class. The necessity of correlating the categories of politeness with grammatical categories and context has been substantiated. This technique will allow foreign students to learn the rules of language behavior that exist among the Hispanic population.

An Overview on Speaking Anxiety in Foreign Language Classroom: Level of Speaking Anxiety, Gender, and Factors

Language anxiety has become a prevalent problem for students of foreign languages as a second language, and extensive study is being conducted to investigate the association between language anxiety and speaking skills. Students in foreign language classes experienced fear and anxiety as a result of tasks involving speaking abilities. Numerous research investigations have been conducted in order to establish a link between language anxiety and speaking skills and to gain broad conceptions regarding foreign language speaking anxiety. The purpose of this study is to conceptualise speaking anxiety in the foreign language classroom. This study also looked at the prevalence of speaking anxiety among students, its relationship with gender, and the factors that contribute to speaking anxiety. It is found that foreign language anxiety is highly related to speaking skills, as foreign language students are apprehensive and fearful of communicating with others in foreign language sessions. This study also presents suggestions and recommendations for further research.

The use of cooperative learning in English as foreign language classes: The prevalence, fidelity, and challenges

Cooperative learning has often been examined through experimental research with evidence of its numerous benefits. However, the extent and fidelity of its classroom use are understudied, and even there are few reports about its limited and unfaithful use. Using grounded theory, this exploratory study examined semi-structured detailed interviews from 14 Iranian English as foreign language (EFL) teachers to derive a framework explaining their conception and practice of cooperative learning. The findings suggested that, notwithstanding the positive beliefs about its benefits, cooperative learning is not extensively and faithfully used in the classes because of teachers’ knowledge, beliefs, and some implementation challenges.

Specific Features of the Use of Distance Learning Technologies in Foreign Language Classes with Postgraduate Students


 The study substantiates the effectiveness of using distance learning technologies in preparing postgraduate students in technical specialties for candidate minimum examinations in the foreign language during the transition to distance learning in Moscow universities due to the epidemiological situation in 2020-2021. The present study reveals both positive and negative aspects of distance learning and provides an understanding of the key vector in the development of the methodological basis of pedagogical activity. The study emphasizes the special organizational role of a foreign language teacher in distance learning. The empirical section of the study presents the results of a questionnaire survey of postgraduate students in aerospace specialties collecting their opinions on the distance learning format of the “Foreign language” discipline using information and communication technologies (ICT) at the Moscow Aviation Institute (National Research University). Seventy first-year postgraduate students participated in the survey. The study also uses a questionnaire interview of teachers working with postgraduate students. This survey used open-ended questions. Overall, the study demonstrates students’ positive attitude to the distance format of the “Foreign language” discipline. The use of ICT raises interest both in the learning process and the discipline itself.

Enjoyment in the Foreign Language Teaching Environment: Saudi Teachers’ Perspectives

Introduction. Positive emotions are crucial for facilitating the learning process in foreign language (FL) classes. It has been well established that the emotion of enjoyment highly influences students and teachers in language learning environments and plays a key role in motivation. Goals. The first objective of this study was to investigate the foreign language enjoyment (FLE) levels of FL teachers in Saudi Arabia. The second objective was to investigate the level of enjoyment felt by these teachers when they were FL students. Third, gender differences with regard to the level of enjoyment were studied. Finally, the sources of enjoyment were explored. Thirty-six teachers from different educational institutions in Saudi Arabia were surveyed. Results. The results demonstrated that the participants experienced high levels of enjoyment when teaching FL classes; however, their enjoyment levels were significantly higher when they were FL students. A positive atmosphere at the workplace, students’ excitement about language learning, and the joy of passing knowledge to others served as sources of enjoyment among the FL teachers. In terms of their experiences as FL students, FLE stemmed from their own FL teachers’ attitudes as well as the process of learning a language applicable to real daily life. Gender was found to be only a mediator, not a predictor, of participants’ enjoyment as there were no statistically significant differences between male and female teachers. Conclusions. Thus, the following conclusions can be drawn based on the study. First, teachers must promote positive classroom environments by perfecting their general attitudes as much as possible to enhance the feeling of enjoyment among learners. This, in turn, will make the FL learning journey effortless and help students reach their learning goals and objectives. Furthermore, in pre-course sessions, a brief introduction that clarifies the importance of English as a foreign language is highly recommended. This will help students recognise the possible outcomes of their learning and enable them to enjoy their experiences of learning EFL. Second, institutions – i.e. schools and universities – that offer opportunities to teach EFL should provide positive working environments for their FL teachers. Institutions must also draw teachers’ attention to their role as vital knowledge resources for their students.

METHODS OF TEACHING FOREIGN LANGUAGES UNDER MARTIAL LAW

Due to the development of society, learning foreign languages is in great demand among students. Even duringthe coronavirus pandemic, it got a media format. And when Ukraine was engulfed in the war of 2022, after a break ofalmost a month, teaching returned to normal, but moving on to the next stage of multimedia technology. All this addeda more interesting character to foreign language classes: despite the already established system of forms of workclasses began to focus on two parts of students (those who can attend classes and those who cannot). However,everyone has to study, that is why in some aspects the learning process is divided into two branches so that everyonehas the opportunity to learn.Martial law has also affected the psychological state of students and teachers, but thanks to mutual support theyleave their resources almost stable. All in all, nothing can stop the rapidly evolving learning process and paving theway for those who want to learn.

Прилагане на мултилингвизъм в чуждоезиковото обучение в съвремен- ното инженерно образование [Multilingual Approach in Foreign Language Teaching Applied in Present

This article examines the results of a study in the discipline “Technical Mechanics”. This study was conducted among 1st and 2nd year students from the University of Chemical Technology and Metallurgy (UCTM), vocational field 5.10 “Chemical Technology”. This paper is the continuation of a previous experiment conducted by the authors, and concerning the study of thesaurus and development of language competences among students from engineering specialties. The present study was conducted during the past academic year at the UCTM. A multilingual educational tool was developed and applied in order to support and improve the learning process in specialized foreign language classes. The motive is to ascertain the effectiveness of the experimental educational tool for the students.

Мобильные технологии в развитии межкультурной компетенции студентов-международников в рамках занятий по иностранному языку

This article provides qualitative and quantitative data to establish the effectiveness of virtual tools as a means of developing intercultural competence in students of international relations at foreign language classes. Intercultural competence is known to be crucial for this field of studies. However, no teaching technologies exist for its development at foreign language classes, and available research publications on this issue fail to take into account the current state and mechanisms of global communication. The empirical part of this study involved a survey of students of international relations during the first term of 2021–2022. The author compared their performance in class and during extracurricular activities, where they had to maintain an English blog. A total of 93 second- and third-year students (experimental + control groups) took part in the trial training, and 50 people (28 students, 22 teachers) participated in the independent assessment of the technology. The blog operating process was divided according to types of virtual intercultural communication (oral-written, mixed, and oral) and followed the academic program. The independent assessment was performed by academic staff and students who didn't participate in the experiment, but were able to observe. They unanimously approved of the new technology and defined the prospects of its further implementation. Blogging in a foreign language proved to be an efficient technology for developing intercultural competence in university students majoring in international relations.

The need to use different types of tasks in foreign language classes at a non-linguistic higher education institution.

The need to use different types of tasks in foreign language classes at a non-linguistic higher education institution.

STORYTELLING IN THE COURSE OF UKRAINIAN AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE FOR KOREAN STUDENTS: A PRACTICAL ASPECT

The article highlights the advantages of the Storytelling method in foreign language classes and the features of its application in global pedagogy, in particular, the creation and use of various stories that evoke appropriate emotions and affect our lives, etc. However, in the course of Ukrainian as a foreign language (hereinafter - UFL), this method is just beginning to be implemented but already has some developments. Considerable attention is paid to the issue of Storytelling, which has become one of the main disciplines at the Department of Ukrainian Studies of Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, which improves students’ communication skills. The article discusses the practical aspect of Storytelling for Korean students, especially it is about the list of topics that can be offered for studying this discipline, the structure of one lesson and its main components (blocks): reading or listening to the text, questions to the text, exercises (lexical, grammatical, logical), additional information, telling your own story. Each of the blocks is analyzed in detail, the advantages and disadvantages of certain tasks are indicated, as well as the difficulties encountered by Korean students in the process of studying Storytelling. The modern embodiment of this method is also indicated – Digital Storytelling, which is actively used in foreign-language audiences nowadays. The purpose of the article is to prove that Storytelling as an educational discipline should be mandatory in education for Korean students of the Department of Ukrainian Studies, which will contribute to improving the communication skills of students and its components (linguistic, speech, sociolinguistic competences); to show in practice what material should be used in Storytelling classes and what exercises and tasks to develop for the stories read or heard. Key words: Storytelling, Ukrainian as a foreign language (UFL), method, stories, educational discipline, communication skills, Korean students.

Soft skill formation and development in foreign language classes at nonlinguistic university.

Soft skill formation and development in foreign language classes at nonlinguistic university.

Using online tools Quizlet and WordWall to form foreign lexical competence of undergraduate students

Introduction. Professional training of undergraduate students majoring in foreign language teaching requires special attention to the formation and development of the lexical competence in foreign languages which is seen as an integral part of professional competence of a language teacher. However, over the last couple of years instruction in foreign languages has had to transform into partial or full-time online format. Such conditions call for all participants of the educational process to adjust their approaches to realizing competency-based teaching and developing new digital competences. The article researches the structure of the lexical competence, formulates challenges which arise while working with lexis during lessons with undergraduate students, majoring in foreign language teaching as well as describes the content of the digital competence of foreign language teachers.The formation of the lexical competence can be optimized by integrating online tools which not only facilitate memorizing new lexis but also maintain and foster students’ motivation to learning foreign languages. There are 2 online tools that could be used in foreign language classes – Quizlet and WordWall. Furthermore, the article determines the role of online tools in teaching new lexis, suggests ways of working with them and points out a mutual benefit between regular work with online tools and development of the digital competence of future teachers of foreign languages.Materials and Methods. Аpplication of online tools Quizlet and WordWall in English and German classes, conducting a survey and feedback analyses, summarizing and interpretation of the collected dataResults. А list of referenced sources that were collected during the research includes 30 Russian and foreign sources. This reference list made it possible to look into the structure of the foreign lexical and digital competences and thus it enabled the researchers to investigate how to form the lexical competence by means of online tools.Discussions and Conclusions. The survey has concluded effectivity of using online tools Quizlet and WordWall in forming foreign lexical competence of undergraduate students and proved their productivity in organizing students’ independent work and development of the digital competence.

Assessment practices in foreign language classes: didact articulation between formative and summative evaluation

Assessment practices in foreign language classes: didact articulation between formative and summative evaluation

Gamification as a method to build lexical speaking skills at a foreign language class in the mainstream school

Introduction. Knowledge of a foreign language is one of the most necessary conditions for a specialist of any profile to be in demand in the labour market. New teaching formats provide an opportunity to use gamification technologies that contribute to efficiency of learning and proper acquisition of mastered material. The purpose of the study is to assess the efficiency of gamification technologies embedded in the process of teaching a foreign language for successful mastery of the lexical material on the fifth year of the mainstream school. Methodology and methods. The experimental teaching was effectuated on the basis of a number of schools in Lipetsk and Moscow regions (Russian Federation). The initial and final diagnostics of the level of foreign-language communicative competence in all kinds of verbal activities (listening comprehension, speaking, reading, writing) was used. The method of mathematical statistics – Pearson’s chi-squared test – was applied. Results. The ascertaining stage results made it possible to view a statistically insignificant difference in the level of fifth-year pupils’ proficiency in English lexical speaking skills in the control and experimental groups. Didactic testing was used as a research method. The final testing results demonstrate that the experimental group learners showed a higher level in lexical skills, which is confirmed by the Pearson’s chi-squared test calculations. With the variance of system indicators equal to 3, the value of criterion χ2 = 8.212, the critical value of χ2 =7.815 (with the significance value of p<0.05). Consequently, the complex of didactic linguistic games developed and implemented in the educational process influences efficiently the development of lexical speaking skills of 5th-year school learners. Scientific novelty. It was revealed that gamification technology in the learning process would be efficient on the condition that it is of regular nature, covers all the learners, with the creation of appropriate psychological atmosphere and combination of games with the traditional didactic tasks. Practical significance. The parameters of the highlighted problems, the definition of the role and significance of gamification in the context of educational opportunities in mastering a foreign language will be interesting and may help in practical activities of a wide range of specialists: psychologists, educators, methodologists, organisers of supplementary education.

Interconnected development of intercultural competence and soft skills through tasks in foreign language education at a university

Introduction. The formation of universal competences (flexible skills) is an imperative of the modern education system, while foreign language proficiency is one of the key competences of a modern specialist. A foreign language as a subject has great potential for the interconnected development of both subject and meta-subject, universal competences. The research purpose is to analyze the textbooks and online courses that are actively used by university teachers and evaluate the structure of tasks used and their potential for the interconnected formation of intercultural competence and soft skills. Methodology and methods. Twenty-one teachers of Petrozavodsk State University took part in the survey. Criteria based on the framework of intercultural competence and soft skills were developed to evaluate learning materials. Based on the proposed criteria, six groups of tasks were identified that contribute to the interconnected development of intercultural competence and flexible skills (culturological materials; tasks for critical thinking development; tasks for information analysis and interpretation; tasks based on students’ experience; tasks for generating one’s own ideas and products; tasks for the interaction (in pairs, groups) and creation of a joint product). Results. The study showed that 85.7% of foreign language teachers of Petrozavodsk State University (Russian Federation) agree that the development of intercultural competence and soft skills is possible and necessary. However, only 42.1% of the respondents are satisfied with the quantity and quality of tasks offered in textbooks. Moreover, all respondents use additional tasks and 95.2% do it regularly or often. The analysis of the textbooks confirmed that the respondents have reason to be dissatisfied with the quantity and quality of tasks. Only 19%-25% of the tasks offered in textbooks and/or online courses can be used to develop universal competences and intercultural competence. A more detailed analysis of the tasks revealed that the least presented were tasks for creating one's own product (individually) and group tasks for creating a group product. Conclusion. The results obtained allowed to develop a classification of tasks to be used in foreign language classes at a university for the interconnected development of subject and meta-subject competences. The formulations of tasks for achieving integrated results in foreign language education were proposed.