Foreign Language Departments Research Articles

Design and Implementation of Empower English Program Online (EEPO) for Students and Learners of Ho Chi Minh City University of Transport

Technology and computers have affected teaching and learning English in tertiary education worldwide. It is seen as an important resource for instruction in foreign language teaching. There is a wide use of its ability to create online environments in which students can take the benefits from them. The Department of Foreign Languages (DFL) ​​of Ho Chi Minh City University of Transport (UT-HCMC) recognizes the importance and the effectiveness of online English learning in the information technology era. Just a networked computer or smart phone, a headset and a course account, students can learn English anytime, anywhere. Online English learning can match different learning styles and use different activities. Currently, the Department is using the Social Learning software of Knowledge Transmission Publisher, with the simple content, high cost and the relatively low level compared to the required learning outcomes stipulated by Vietnam Ministry of Education and Training (MOET). The DFL wishes to build our own online English program to overcome the above disadvantages. Thus, this research paper explores teachers’ and students’ viewpoints on the present online program which has been used for the UT-HCMC students for the past 5 years- The Online Connected Program (OCP). The analysis of the responses to the questionnaires for teachers and students provides us with their perspectives as well as the difficulties they face when using OCP. The teachers’ and students’ suggestions are also collected. The findings obtained from this study will be used as the basis for designing a self-study online curriculum in the near future as a supplementary teaching adapted for both UT-HCMC students’ needs and UT-HCMC teachers’ expectations. The researchers present some conclusions supported by quotations from the previous papers in an attempt to draw the research theory and practice.

Design and Implementation of Empower English Program Online (EEPO) for Students and Learners of Ho Chi Minh City University of Transport

Technology and computers have affected teaching and learning English in tertiary education worldwide. It is seen as an important resource for instruction in foreign language teaching. There is a wide use of its ability to create online environments in which students can take the benefits from them. The Department of Foreign Languages (DFL) ??of Ho Chi Minh City University of Transport (UT-HCMC) recognizes the importance and the effectiveness of online English learning in the information technology era. Just a networked computer or smart phone, a headset and a course account, students can learn English anytime, anywhere. Online English learning can match different learning styles and use different activities. Currently, the Department is using the Social Learning software of Knowledge Transmission Publisher, with the simple content, high cost and the relatively low level compared to the required learning outcomes stipulated by Vietnam Ministry of Education and Training (MOET). The DFL wishes to build our own online English program to overcome the above disadvantages. Thus, this research paper explores teachers’ and students’ viewpoints on the present online program which has been used for the UT-HCMC students for the past 5 years- The Online Connected Program (OCP). The analysis of the responses to the questionnaires for teachers and students provides us with their perspectives as well as the difficulties they face when using OCP. The teachers’ and students’ suggestions are also collected. The findings obtained from this study will be used as the basis for designing a self-study online curriculum in the near future as a supplementary teaching adapted for both UT-HCMC students’ needs and UT-HCMC teachers’ expectations. The researchers present some conclusions supported by quotations from the previous papers in an attempt to draw the research theory and practice.

French Language Teacher Trainees Perception of Pedagogical Content Knowledge in French Language

Abstract The overall goal of this study was to find out French language teacher trainees perception of pedagogical content knowledge in French language. The study adopted a descriptive survey design. The population comprised of all 415 French undergraduate students’ in the Department of Educational Foundations, Faculty of Education and, the Department of Foreign Languages, Faculty of Arts of a Nigerian University. A total of 108 French students were selected from the population through a simple random sampling technique as the sample for the study. A likert type questionnaire with a four point scale was validated by three experts. Using the Cronbach Alpha statistic, a reliability coefficient of 0.75 was obtained. Data was analyzed using means and standard deviation and a criterion mean of 2.50 was used for acceptance and rejection. The results show that Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) is capable of developing French teacher trainees’ competences in problem solving skills, erases possible misconceptions and erroneous reasoning, simulates the use of various representations and instruction of knowledge and helps in the development of proactive thinking, attitude and self-confidence. It was therefore, recommended that more methodology courses should be designed and implemented to help the trainees content knowledge as well as pedagogical content knowledge so that they can serve effectively as twenty first century language teachers.

The Impact of EFL Algerian University Students’ Attitudes on Literary Texts Reading Motivation: The Case of Second Year English Students at Setif 2 University

Motivating EFL students to read in English has captured the attention of different researchers in the field of foreign language learning for decades. The present study aims chiefly at probing into the attitudes held towards reading English literary texts by second-year Algerian EFL learners at the Department of Foreign Languages, University of Setif2. It seeks to study the learners’ attitudes towards reading English literary texts and their impact on their reading motivation. It also fetches the factors controlling EFL learners’ motivation in reading English literary texts. Moreover, it tackles sensible concern often encountered in literary text teaching: is there a correlation between learners’ attitudes and reading motivation? To this end, Data were collected through a perception questionnaire that was handed to a randomly selected sample of 150 students. The data analyses were descriptive. Results demonstrated that the students have low reading motivation due to their negative attitudes towards reading English literary texts. Based on these findings, it is suggested that literature teachers should incorporate the most convenient methods and techniques to meet EFL learners’ reading needs and interests. Thus, technology and new media should pave its way into the literature classes.

Developing students’ skills into pedagogical improvisation using didactic games

The aim of the study is to reveal ways in which to apply didactic games to the process of specialists’ mastering improvisation skills and problem-solving in professional pedagogical activity. Pedagogical improvisation encompasses the whole range of knowledge, abilities and skills the future teacher, may require to solve unplanned situations. However, the ability to make quick and expedient pedagogical decisions contributes to effective implementation, as this involves instantaneousness, extraordinary thinking and, most importantly, the effective final version. The research aim is formulated with the help of various scientific methods:1) theoretical – theoretical and critical analysis of philosophical, psychological, pedagogical and methodical literature, comparison, systematization, generalization of the obtained information;2) empirical – questionnaires, conversations, interviews, expert evaluation, independent evaluation, observation, pedagogical experiment;3) statistical – mathematical methods for processing experimental data. The educational effect of pedagogical improvisation is achieved due to such teaching methods as didactic games, which are primarily related to two particulars of studying: problematicity and acquisition of study material through action. In order to ensure the development of future specialists’ skills of pedagogical improvisation, a pilot study was conducted, involving second-year students of the Ukrainian Studies Department of Pirogov National Medical University and of the Foreign Languages Department of Pavlo Tychyna Uman State Pedagogical University. The number of students measuring a high level of development in pedagogical improvisation increased by 12.3 %, with the average level increasing by 19.7 %. Of particular note, the number of students with low levels decreased by 32.0 %, due to educational didactic games. It was proven that these games ensured the students’ high activity in educational activities and encouraged them to develop their skills and responsible attitude towards their collective responsibilities in solving pedagogical problems situations.

Rubrics and Academic Performance in English as a Foreign Language Teaching: Assessing Writing Tasks

Using rubrics in foreign language teaching has become a popular procedure among academics around the world. Rubrics are useful tools to improve educational in-class processes, as well as, to assess students’ learning outcomes. This study aims to determine whether the application of rubrics as an assessment tool influences eighth-grade foreign language students’ Academic Performance.A diagnostic survey was applied to the teachers of the foreign language department at the high school to determine which assessment tools were used to assess and grade students’ writing class work. Twenty-eight students of eighth grade, classroom “D” (octavo ano de educacion basica class D) and foreign language teachers of Unidad Educativa Colegio Militar No6 “Combatientes de Tapi (UECMCT), Riobamba, Ecuador, participated in the study. The Academic Performance data of the students was collected during the second term of the second five-month school period (quimester) and analyzed through figures and tables, where a written activity was assessed without the application of a rubric. The results of this first students’ performance assessment showed that many students were not proficient in learning. Subsequently, an assessment rubric was elaborated and applied as an evaluation instrument of a written activity during the third term of the second quimester. In this opportunity, as a result, a large number of students improved their performance and achieved the expected learning outcomes. The application of this assessment tool not only enhanced the Academic Performance of the students but also allowed the teacher to facilitate the assessment process.

FOLK SPEECH AND CULTURE OF THE REGION IN REPRESENTATION TO THE FOREIGN STUDENTS OF PHILOLOGICAL DEPARTMENT

This article considers an actual problem of modern lingvomethodics which is the formation of lingvoregional knowledge and skills of foreign student-philologists. The main goal of this article is grounding and development of teaching materials which will form the lingvoregional knowledge and skills of the foreign students basing on the Pskov regional material.The article describes the following issues: students learn the peculiarities of local Pskov dialects, folk holidays of Pskov region, works of philologists and ethnographers devoted to the language and culture of Pskov. Main textual and lexicographical resources of the teaching materials are also covered, as well as the description of the introducing lingvoregional information methods. We also present the results of ascertaining and control experiment stages, during which the foreign students of the department of Russian Philology and Foreign languages were educated according to the introductory lingvoregional training program. During the experiment, we used the methods of linguistic-cultural analysis of words and text, the method of pedagogical experiment, mathematical method of processing the results obtained.The results of the tests showed that foreign students had significantly increased the level of linguistic and lingvoregional knowledge and skills, formed on the Pskov regional material.

“Ukrainian Law about Higher Education” as guaranty of mobbing prevention in higher educational institutions

In the jubilee article devoted to Yakym Yarema, a well-known linguist, educator, psychologist, a long-term chairman of the department of foreign language of Lviv Zooveterinary Institute, the issues of mobing are clarified – one of the most acute psychological pedagogical modern problems. The main feature of the mobing – regular and purposeful task of mental physical harm to a person, that is reflected in the psychological terror, carried out by a person of a group of persons against a colleague at work or at education. The Law of Ukraine on Higher Education is the key to overcoming the negative phenomena among participants in the educational process as a horizontal one (among colleagues and work comrades), and at the vertical level (head teacher – teacher, teacher – student). Full and high-quality education can be obtained in free from corruption HEI and in a psychologically favorable scientific educational environment.

FORMATION OF LANGUAGE PERSONALITY IN THE PEDAGOGICAL DISCOURSE IN BELARUS

MAKSIMUK Larisa – Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences, Associate Professor of the Foreign Languages Department, Brest State University named after A.S. Pushkin, Kosmonavtov Str., 21, Brest, 224016, BelarusE-mail address: flk@brsu.brest.by ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8163-0842ResearcherID: http://www.researcherid.com/rid/K-9760-2018 LEVONYUK Lilia – Senior Lecturer of the Foreign Languages Department, Brest State University named after A.S. Pushkin, Kosmonavtov Str., 21, Brest, 224016, BelarusE-mail address: flk@brsu.brest.by ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1560-2747 ResearcherID: http://www.researcherid.com/rid/K-4500-2018 To cite this article: Maksimuk, L., & Levonyuk, L. (2019). Formation of language personality in the pedagogical discourse in Belarus. Liudynoznavchi studii. Seriia «Pedahohika» – Human Studies. Series of «Pedagogy», 8/40, 94–104. doi: 10.24919/2413-2039.8/40.164413. Article history Received: November 7, 2018Received in revised form: December 17, 2018 Accepted: February 18, 2019Available online: April 22, 2019 Journal homepage: http://lssp.dspu.edu.ua/ p-ISSN 2313-2094e-ISSN 2413-2039 © 2019 The Authors. Human studies. Series of «Pedagogy» published by Drohobych Ivan Franko State Pedagogical University & Open Journal Systems. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/).Abstract. The article deals with the actual problem of the formation of a professional language personality in the process of foreign languages teaching at a non-linguistic University. The concept of professional language personality, its multilevel structure, as well as the role played in its formation by a professionally oriented educational language environment created in foreign language classes using modern computer technologies and innovative educational techniques are considered.Special attention is paid to the use of a professionally oriented approach to the formation of a language personality. This approach contributes to the formation of students’ ability to communicate in real professional, business, scientific fields and specific situations. The specificity of a professionally oriented approach in teaching foreign languages lies in the fact that the development of the language personality of a student occurs primarily through immersion in the sphere of professional knowledge, through the features of his future profession, in other words, the familiarization of the language personality with the professional sphere begins starting from his familiarization with professional discourse. Professional discourse is a set of oral and written texts generated by the language personality of a specialist in foreign professional communication.The creation of a vocationally oriented educational environment in teaching a foreign language is considered as the main factor in the formation of a professional language personality of students. A professionally oriented language environment is defined, on the one hand, as a combination of means and technologies for collecting, accumulating, transmitting, processing and distributing educational and professionally oriented information, on the other hand, as conditions leading to the emergence and development of information interaction between the teacher, students and information and communication technologies. In this context, the specialist model serves as a unique basis for the design of the information technology support of the educational process as a whole.Acknowledgments. Sincere thanks to pedagogical staff at the Foreign Languages Department of Brest State University named after A.S. Pushkin.Funding. The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

ORGANIZATIONAL AND PEDAGOGICAL CONDITIONS FOR TEACHERS’ READINESS FORMATION TO USE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES AND DISTANT LEARNING

NOSKOVA Marharyta – Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences, Associate Professor of the Pedagogy and Social Management Department, Lviv Polytechnic National University, S. Bandera Str., 12, Lviv, 79013, Ukraine E-mail address: margaryta.v.noskova@lpnu.ua ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4396-3408 ResearcherID : http://www.researcherid.com/rid/R-7823-2017 HAVRYLIUK Marianna – Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences, Associate Professor of the Foreign Language Department, Lviv Polytechnic National University, S. Bandera Str., 12, Lviv, 79013, Ukraine E-mail address: mhavrilyuk@gmail.com ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2347-2188 ResearcherID : http://www.researcherid.com/rid/ D-9475-2019 To cite this article: Noskova, M., & Havryliuk, M. (2019). Organizational and pedagogical conditions for teachers’ readiness formation to use information technologies and distant learning. Liudynoznavchi studii. Seriia «Pedahohika» – Human Studies. Series of «Pedagogy» , 8/40, 81–93. doi: 10.24919/2413-2039.8/40.164407. Article history Received: November 4, 2018 Received in revised form: January 3, 2019 Accepted: February 18, 2019 Available online: April 22, 2019 Journal homepage: http://lssp.dspu.edu.ua/ p-ISSN 2313-2094 e-ISSN 2413-2039 © 2019 The Authors. Human studies. Series of «Pedagogy» published by Drohobych Ivan Franko State Pedagogical University & Open Journal Systems. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ ). Abstract. The article is devoted to the study of teachers’ readiness formation to use the information technologies and distant learning. The research focuses on teachers working in schools who have completed vocational education for at least ten years ago as well as have already got some teaching experience and plan to develop their teaching career. The article analyzes the research works of Ukrainian scientists concerning the essence of the concept of readiness and the components that determine it. In particular, the notion of teacher’s readiness to conduct a professional activity, which has been used throughout the research, was defined as following: «teacher’s professional readiness» is a complex, multicomponent concept that requires a certain formation process throughout the professional activity of a teacher. The readiness or ability of a teacher to perceive various innovations in the professional activity is formed by external and internal factors, which, ideally, should be harmoniously combined and complement each other. The organizational and pedagogical conditions for the formation of teachers’ readiness to use information technologies and distant learning in their professional training have been formulated and substantiated, namely: the availability of the state professional standard of a teacher, which determines the teacher’s informational competence according to his/her education and position; a steady motivation to use information technologies in the professional activities; the creation of an appropriate technical support on the teacher’s workplace; the availability of an information learning environment and sufficient technical equipment and software in the educational institution; system of teachers professional training concerning the use of information technologies and distant learning in the educational process; professional freedom to choose forms, methods, technologies and teaching tools; adequate financial support for the use of information technologies and the introduction of distant learning in the educational institution. The prospects for further scientific research on the defined problem are the following: analysis of the current state of the regulatory and legal framework of Ukraine that regulates the informatization and implementation of information technologies and distant learning in Ukrainian educational institutions; analysis of the reasons for the inhibition of the distant learning introduction in the educational process of Ukrainian institutions of secondary education; the study of the current state of content and the organization of professional development of school teachers’ information competence in institutions of postgraduate education. Acknowledgments. We wish to express our gratitude and appreciation to Ph.D., Professor Mukan Nataliya for the assessment of the materials under study, which have been presented in the article as well as for the valuable recommendations concerning the structure of the article. A thorough discussion of organizational and pedagogical conditions for the formation of teachers’ readiness to use information technologies and distant learning in Ukrainian educational institutions as well as the influence of internal and external factors on the professional activity of a new Ukrainian school teacher has influenced the content of the article and contributed to the identification of new research areas. Funding. The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHING

PRYSHLYAK Oksana – Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences, Associate Professor of the Foreign Languages Department, Ternopil Volodymyr Hnatyuk National Pedagogical University, Kryvonosa Str., 2, Ternopil, 46024, UkraineE-mail address: pryshlyak_o@yahoo.com ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3108-502X ResearcherID: http://www.researcherid.com/rid/F-3895-2019 LUPAK Natalia – Candidate of Philological Sciences, Associate Professor of the Pedagogy and Methods of Primary and Preschool Education Department, Ternopil Volodymyr Hnatyuk National Pedagogical University, Kryvonosa Str., 2, Ternopil, 46024, Ukraine E-mail address: lupak@elr.tnpu.edu.ua ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7868-8771 ResearcherID: http://www.researcherid.com/rid/I-7018-2018 To cite this article: Pryshlyak, O., & Lupak, N. (2019). Intercultural competence in foreign language teaching. Liudynoznavchi studii. Seriia «Pedahohika» – Human Studies. Series of «Pedagogy», 8/40, 185–200. doi: 10.24919/2413-2039.8/40.164457. Article history Received: January 12, 2019Received in revised form: February 14, 2019 Accepted: February 18, 2019Available online: April 22, 2019Journal homepage: http://lssp.dspu.edu.ua/ p-ISSN 2313-2094e-ISSN 2413-2039 © 2019 The Authors. Human studies. Series of «Pedagogy» published by Drohobych Ivan Franko State Pedagogical University & Open Journal Systems. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/).Abstract. The article reveals the understanding of intercultural competence in foreign language teaching. Teaching culture in foreign language teaching has remained an unsolved problem for many years. The relevance of the study is to identify the readiness of the English language teachers to implement intercultural competence at English language lessons. Teachers of a foreign language are the first people who introduce pupils to the linguistic and cultural diversity of the world, open the child’s consciousness to the knowledge of other cultural realities, traditions, behavioral models, values, etc. The realities of the modern world prove the importance of forming pupils’ multicultural consciousness, associated not only with countries of the target language, but also with other cultures whose representatives can communicate in the target language. However, the readiness of foreign language teachers to meet the modern challenges of society, which is related to the development of intercultural competence in pupils, has not been sufficiently highlighted in professional pedagogical education. The authors investigated the level of readiness of foreign language teachers for the development of intercultural competence in pupils. Data were collected from 78 foreign language teachers from four regions (Lviv, Ternopil, Ivano-Frankivsk and Chernivtsi region) by means of a questionnaire. Study presented teachers’ understanding of intercultural competence and culture, attitudes to intercultural competence teaching, applications and actual teaching practices in foreign language classroom. The article reveals the attitude of the English language teachers to implementation of intercultural competence in foreign language teaching classroom. Findings revealed two distinct teacher profiles, i.e., the favourably disposed foreign language teacher, who integrate culture into their classroom practices and the unfavourably disposed foreign language teacher, who did not support this practice.Acknowledgements. Sincere thanks to the pedagogical staff of Ternopil National Volodymyr Hnatyuk Pedagogical University, in the person of Prof. Vira Polishchuk.Funding. The author received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Evaluation of an English preparatory program at a Turkish foundation university

This study aims to evaluate the English Preparatory Program (EPP) offered at the Department of Foreign Languages (DFL) at an English-medium foundation university in Turkey during 2017-18 academic year to discover the strengths and weaknesses of the program. Participants of the study were 241 students and 26 teachers. The data were collected from the “Program Evaluation Survey” designed by the researchers and focus group meetings with students and teachers. The results revealed that the strengths of the EPP included homework assignments, exams and the program while the extracurricular activities and online programs were found to be the main weaknesses of the EPP. It was also found that student and teacher perceptions of the EPP showed statistically significant difference. Finally, students and teachers suggested some improvements in terms of the pacing of the program, course books and supplementary booklets, number of the portfolio assignments and the picture description part in the Speaking Exam. It is hoped that the findings of the study will contribute to the improvement of the existing program and lead to better learning opportunities for students in the coming years. Keywords: Program evaluation; English preparatory program; students; teachers; perspectives

Pedagogical technologies of medical students’ professional training

The article deals with the problem of the effectiveness of the developmental influence, the possibilities and limitations of modern innovative pedagogical technologies in higher medical school, aimed at shaping the professional communicative culture of future doctors. The role of the pedagogical learning technologies in the process of implementing the competence-based approach in higher medical schools has been characterized. The illuminated personality-oriented direction of innovative education in medical universities. There is a reasonable opinion, that the most effective are such pedagogical technologies, focused on the personality of a medical student, on the development of the future doctors not only professional knowledge and skills, but, above all, the qualities aimed at developing of communicative knowledge and psychotherapeutic skills during the professional dialogue. It is emphasized the importance of case study method applying, which serves as a tool, that allows applying the theoretical knowledge of the medical students to solving practical questions, improve skills and gain experience in identifying, selecting and solving professional problems. The data on the evaluation of the motivational component peculiarities of the medical students' readiness to conduct a cyanogenic dialogue between a doctor and a patient based at the Department of Foreign Languages at Zaporizhzhya State Medical University are given.

Развитие лингвистического образования в авиационном вузе: проблемы и перспективы внедрения основной образовательной программы лингвистической магистратуры

The research analyzes the practices and the challenges of further development of linguistic education at the Moscow Aviation Institute which has started as the Foreign Languages Department and expanded to become the College of Foreign Languages with various curricula. The launch of Master’s Degree in Linguistics programs is regarded as a major step towards creating the active language learning environment. Nowadays, there are no universities in Russia that train Master’s Degree students majoring in Aviation Translation and Interpretation. This fact determines the relevance and novelty of the task of developing language education for aerospace industry performed by the Moscow Aviation Institute. The research explains the specific nature of Master’s program in the field of technical translation for aerospace industry. The following objectives should be fulfilled to provide an effective linguistic education. It is necessary to enhance the interaction between language teachers and lecturers of the main department, arrange traineeships for lecturers of foreign language departments and intensive business language and LSP courses for engineering teachers, devise and implement the effective LSP teaching techniques by both language teachers and lecturers of the main department. The author concludes that the new development stage of linguistic education at the Moscow Aviation Institute is an important element of the active learning environment in the institute as a whole.

OPTIMIZING WRITTEN CONTROL OF KNOWLEDGE, ABILITIES AND SKILLS ON THE SUBJECT “ENGLISH FOR SPECIAL PURPOSES”(ENGLISH FOR TECHNICAL SPECIALTIES)

The article defines the notion of written control of “English for Technical Specialties” as that which may reflect the professional technical English language knowledge, abilities and skills in reading, listening, and writing and to some extent speaking. It is noted that the written control reflects objective achievement results, while the individual approach is absent, which is a drawback due to standardized evaluation criteria. Another disadvantage of written control is students’ cheating possibility. It is outlined that the written control is an optimum kind of the professional lexical units’ knowledge control as well as the grammar constructs and stylistic peculiarities of technical English. The authors define the following recommended types of written control exercises: the productive, reproductive and partially reproductive ones: multiple-choice test, filling in test, regrouping test, sentence transformation test, correcting mistakes, constructed answer test, “question – answer” test and the “translation” test. The authors recommend to group within one test sheet exercises, starting with the reproductive and partially reproductive, with the productive ones in the end. The article establishes basic principles of written control: hierarchy, management and system implementation. Due to the conducted literature data analysis and authors’ personal teaching experience the optimum written test structure has been defined as that including 4-5 tasks, consisting of 5 points each, which include control of lexical units on the theme, context of the theme, grammar constructions and the abilities and skills of listening or professional writing. The authors offer to make up the written tasks bank, grouping various tasks into various test subkinds, to be approved by the English tutors’ Council, Department of Foreign Languages or even the Faculty.

Academic English as a Component of Curriculum For ESL Students (Foreign Experience)

AbstractIt has been substantiated that Academic English must be an integral component of ESL students’ study at foreign languages departments to achieve success as professionals and be ready to realize themselves in a demanding world of today. We have defined the main problem on the way to it, namely the insufficient provision of the Academic English discipline in curricula of foreign language departments or its absence. The necessity to elaborate a syllabus for Academic English discipline being taught throughout all the course of study has been substantiated. Educational programs of Academic English in a number of foreign educational establishments of Great Britain, the USA, Canada and Australia have been analyzed and their defining features have been outlined. Strategies and conditions for effective teaching of Academic English have been characterized. It has been defined that in general, in spite of slight differences in the topics covered by different EAP programs, all of them are aimed at: developing strategies and vocabulary for reading and understanding academic texts; finding, understanding, describing and evaluating information for academic purposes; developing active listening and effective note-taking skills; building on language skills to describe problems and cause-and-effect; gathering a range of information, using the skills learned, to integrate it into a written report; engaging in peer-to-peer feedback before finalising one’s piece of academic work. Requirements for students’ achievements at the end of the course have been determined. As a basis for Academic English syllabus elaboration has been chosen a course by M. Hewings and C. Thaine (upper-intermediate and advanced levels). On its basis we have defined units to be covered by the course as well as skills to be developed. Recommendations as to better and more efficient teaching of the discipline have been outlined.

Using Task Based Learning to Develop EFL Speaking Skills of the Humanistic Studies' Students of Al-Azhar University

The current study aimed at developing the speaking skills of the Humanistic studies Students through a program based on task-based learning. Sixty one students from the first year humanistic studies college, department of foreign languages and Simultaneous Interpretation, Al-Azhar Univesity, Tfahna branch were drawn randomly to represent the study participants during the second term of the academic year 2017-2018. The researcher employed the quasi-experimental design. The experimental group consisted of 31 students and the control group contained 30 students. In order to achieve the purpose of the study, the researcher designed speaking skills questionnaire to determine the most important speaking skills needed for the 1st year Humanistic studies students and validated it by a list of jury members. A speaking skills test and a rubric to score the test were designed and validated by the jury members. Then a program of ten sessions grounded on six units from Let's talk 2 was designed and applied to the experimental group whereas the control group received their regular instruction. The speaking skills test was pre- and post-administered to both the experimental and the control groups. Results indicated that there is a statistically significant difference between the mean scores of the experimental group and those of the control group in their speaking skills in favor of the experimental group. Findings from the current study provided evidence for the effectiveness of the program in developing the speaking skills of the Humanistic studies students and were consistent with the researcher's hypotheses. Finally, some recommendations and suggestions for further research were provided.

Tumbleweed Connections

Tumbleweed Connections Jeffrey R. Di Leo (bio) The Annual Meeting of the Modern Languages Association of America is one of the high points of the academic year. Scholars from English, comparative literature, and foreign language departments from across the United States convene after the winter holidays for four days of scholarly presentations, book exhibitions, and—for the fortunate few—job interviews. This event is both a barometer of the relative health of one of the largest branches of the humanities as well as one of the few opportunities we have to see our profession and its participants in action. Hundreds of sessions are organized on the wide-ranging themes and issues that represent the current interests and needs of the members of the MLA. To get a sense of the range, this past fall, the first two sessions were "Fund-Raising 101: How to Raise Money for Your Programs and Events" (Session 001) and "DH Curious? Digital Humanities Tools and Technologies for Students, Emerging Scholars, Faculty Members, Librarians, and Administrators" (Session 002), and the last two sessions were devoted to "Marxism and the Future of Higher Education" (Session 746) and "Critical Race Theory and New Directions for Victorian Studies" (Session 747). These sessions serve as a living matrix of the shape of the profession and its interests. More sessions one year as opposed to previous years serves as evidence of growing interest in a topic; fewer sessions on a topic over the years attests to diminishing interest. And starting the program this year with a session on raising money says everything about the most urgent problem facing the profession: decreasing funding. Over the years the convention and the organization have grown considerably in size and diversity. Back in 1889, when the seventh annual convention was held in Cambridge, Massachusetts, sixty-two people attended to hear nineteen presentations in five sessions along with a variety of reports. All of the members of the MLA at that time were men. To highlight this fact, Charles W. Eliot, President of Harvard University, gave a welcome address to the association on Thursday night, and then invited "the members of the Association and their wives" to a reception at his home on 17 Quincy Street after the formal address to the organization by its president, the poet, James Russell Lowell. The 1889 program also explicitly notes "The attendance of Ladies at the Sessions of the Convention will be expected and welcomed." The twentieth-century though would bring major changes to the demographics of the MLA, not the least of which would be the steadily increasing role and status of women in the organization and the profession. In 1989, one-hundred years later, the MLA Committee on the Status of Women in the Profession reported that about 48 percent of doctorates in English and 64 percent of doctorates in foreign languages that year were awarded to women. And of those doctorates in English, 656 were awarded to white women and 54 to women of color; of the doctorates in foreign languages, 180 were awarded to white women and 34 to women of color. Moreover, though the MLA president was male in 1989 (Victor Brombert), women held the position the year before (Barbara Herrnstein Smith, 1988) and the year after (Catherine R. Stimpson, 1990). In addition, since 1985, the three executive directors of the MLA have all been women (Phyllis Franklin, 1985-2002; Rosemary G. Feal, 2002-2017; and Paula M. Krebs, 2017-present). Furthermore, a 1995 Survey of Humanities Doctorates conducted by the National Opinion Research Center reported that among Assistant Professors of English, approximately 16 percent were white men, 23 percent were white women, 22 percent were men of color, and 34 percent were women of color; among Assistant Professors of Foreign Languages, approximately 14 percent were white men, 26 percent were white women, 16 percent were men of color, and 31 percent were women of color. Nevertheless, at the highest rank, there were wide disparities based on gender and minority status. Full Professors of English were about 46 percent white men, 22 percent were white women, 27 percent were men of color, and 24 percent were women of color; among Full Professors of Foreign...

SPSP-CDA Best Practices at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB): Linear and Intentional, Never Set and Done

SPSP-CDA Best Practices at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB): Linear and Intentional, Never Set and Done Lourdes Sánchez-López Introduction The Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures (DFLL) at UAB is home to a pioneer program in Spanish for the Professions and Specific Purposes (SPSP) in US higher education. For the last two decades (2000–18), its Spanish curricula have been carefully experimenting and evolving to adjust to the societal needs and professional demands of the twenty-first century. Today, the DFLL offers a minor in Spanish for Business, an undergraduate Spanish for Specific Purposes Certificate, and a major in Applied Professional Spanish. In addition, a professional Spanish language and cultural component has been seamlessly integrated into the newly redesigned three-semester introductory Spanish sequence with a new focus on proficiency and everyday-life use of the language. But curricular transformations never happen in a vacuum, as they are always dictated by the larger contexts that shape them. To put UAB’s SPSP-CDA six-stage evolution into perspective, it is useful to understand various multi-level contextual forces that have influenced it. UAB is one of three public universities in the University of Alabama System. It is the largest employer in the state with more than a 64,000-job employment impact and over a seven billion dollar economic impact (UAB Economic Impact Executive Summary 2017). Birmingham was a major center of activity during the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and 1960s, and this historical situation contributed to the passage of the Civil Rights Act in 1964 (The Civil Rights Act of 1964, nd). Today, Birmingham is the largest metropolitan city in a state with a 4.3% Hispanic population (United States Census Bureau 2017). Thus, local professionals have experienced an increasing need to communicate with Spanish-speaking patients and clients. Originally established as the Medical Center of Alabama in 1945, UAB became independent from the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa in 1969. UAB is a major medical center with very strong health-related academic programs. As UAB celebrates its fiftieth anniversary in 2019, it has recently been a highly ranked young university in the nation and among the top ten young universities in the world (The Times Higher Education University Rankings 2018). In 1969, the DFLL was established with a focus on language, literature and culture. Traditionally the university had a language requirement in its core curriculum, but it was eliminated at the end of the 1990s. The DFLL currently offers a major in Foreign Languages and Literatures with tracks in French and Spanish, and a new track in Applied Professional Spanish. It also offers minors in Chinese, French, German, Japanese and Spanish, Spanish for Business, and introductory courses in Arabic, Italian, and Portuguese. A large percentage of students in the major, following national trends, are double majors in Spanish or French and another discipline (biology, chemistry, criminal justice, international studies, pre-medicine, pre-nursing, along with Spanish, are some of the most common double majors). Since 2000 the SPSP-CDA at UAB has evolved into six stages, each resulting from a needs-analysis process, building upon the previous ones. [End Page 491] Stage 1: Development of Individual SPSP Courses (2000–06) With an eye toward the long-term needs of the department, the university and the community, during Stage 1 at the turn of the twenty-first century, the DFLL started developing and offering introductory courses (first and second semester), followed by intermediate courses (third and fourth semester), in Spanish for health care, business, translation, and interpretation. These early CDA courses were never intended to replace the existing literature and culture courses, but to expand the repertoire of offerings to meet the diverse learning needs of a larger pool of students and professional interests. But the SPSP introductory courses (without a general language proficiency pre-requisite) soon failed. As faculty came to the realization that basic knowledge of the language was necessary in order to succeed in SPSP courses, after a first year of experimentation these introductory courses were reassessed and discontinued. The SPSP focus then shifted to intermediate and advanced (fourth semester and beyond) levels. At the intermediate and...

Новосибирский государственный университет и Евразийско-Тихоокеанская университетская сеть: долгосрочный проект сотрудничества

The article presents an overview of key scientific and corporate events held between 2017–2019 hosted by the Oriental Studies and Foreign Languages Departments of the Institute of Humanities of Novosibirsk State University in close partnership with the Eurasia-Pacific University Network and the University of Vienna (Austria). The listed conferences, expos and field trips were held at the academic sites of Austria, Russia and China (Hong Kong), opening up prospective plans for joint research.