Foreign Language Study Research Articles

Learning Strategies of ELT Students for IELTS Test Preparation to Meet English Learning Outcomes

The present research aimed to examine the learning strategies for the IELTS test preparation to meet the English learning outcomes (ELOs) used by students majoring in English Language Teaching (ELT) in Vietnamese universities, especially at the University of Foreign Language Studies – the University of Da Nang (UFLS-UD) and provided solutions to improve their IELTS test preparation efficiency. Data were collected from the questionnaires completed by 120 English language teaching (ELT) students, the in-depth interviews with 10 student informants, 5 experts in English teaching, and 10 students who have taken the IETLS test to meet the ELOs. The findings showed that most student informants chose the IELTS test to meet the ELOs requirements and did some preparation for the test. Regarding the learning strategies, practicing English pronunciation and communication skills were used for speaking, listening to the audio, watching English videos for listening, reading the IELTS writing samples, and learning grammar for writing. To overcome problems faced by informants, some suggested solutions were proposed, such as employing self-study strategies, practicing the IELTS sample test, attending IELTS courses, sitting for the IELTS mocks, and finding support from lecturers.

Language reflection and reflection of own activities during the study of German as a second foreign language study of German

The problem of promoting reflection in German language classes as the second language was raised. The students studying German as a second foreign language were offered the survey by V. Pavlov «Readiness for the self-development». The choice of the investigation method is justified by the fact that the term «self-development» is very closely related to the term «reflection»: in order to develop oneself successfully, one must be able to reflect well. The results of the study show that 61% of students were prepared for the further self-development, which is connected with the need to reflect. 18% of students wanted to get to know themselves but did not have good self-improvement skills. 13% of students had more opportunities for self-development than the desire to understand themselves. The most problematic, in terms of the ability to reflect in order to develop oneself, seemed to be the last group (8%). It should also be noted that the fairly common answer was “I haven't thought about it”. The experience of the empirical studies allows the conclusion that the questionnaire can have not only diagnostic, but also formative functions: the formulation of questions stimulates the students to reflect on their personal and professional development. When studying German as a second foreign language, the students were offered a variety of tasks that encouraged reflection. After the work carried out, the number of students who are ready to reflect, to get to know themselves better has increased. The following considerations are based on the results of the work carried out: 1. We can develop language reflection among our students if we promote language awareness through activities; Promote language analysis; Encourage comparing languages; Encourage explaining differences; Perform language games; 2. We can develop language learning reflection among our students if we allow them to set goals, encourage reflection on own learning progress and promote awareness of their own experiences in learning German successfully.

Distance learning of the Chinese language for students of humanities in Russian higher education institutions

Introduction. The issue of the relevance of distance education has been studied by various researchers for several decades, since the general digitalization of society. Since 2019, after the start of the COVID epidemic, this issue has become particularly relevant in all areas of education, including the study of foreign languages. In the period 2019–2020, teachers of Chinese and Russian universities actively developed new distance programs that take into account both the peculiarities of learning with the help of modern equipment and technologies, and the difficulties of learning Chinese by students of Russian universities. Purpose setting. For several years, the system of distance learning Chinese language for students of Russian universities has changed significantly. At this time new programs are being developed, modern platforms and applications are being used, and interactive learning methods are being introduced. It is necessary to identify all the features of distance education. Methodology of the study. To conduct this study, we used such methods as: the study of theoretical literature and the analysis of practical experience. Results. As a result of the study, a number of both advantages and disadvantages were identified in relation to the distance education system. In general, the new system differs from standard full-time education, but, despite all its technological difficulties, it can become one of the most effective education systems. Conclusion. The Chinese distance education model, despite all the difficulties, is actively developing, trying to meet the world’s needs. And the main advantage is that students from different regions can easily communicate, discussing exciting issues of linguistic features and culture of the ancient country of the East. But it will take a long time for this education system to become «ideal».

The Peculiarities of Using Information and Computer Technologies in the Study of a Second Foreign Language by Students of Non-linguistic Universities

The article deals with the peculiarities of teaching a second foreign language in non-linguistic universities and resolving the specific problems that accompany the process. The leading role of the teacher in this educational process is argued. The criteria for evaluating the work and the level of training of students are analyzed. Recommendations are given on the use of automated and other technical teaching aids in order to compensate shortage of study time. Examples of noteworthy Internet resources are given. The importance of research work on the analysis and improvement of the existing experience in teaching this optional discipline is highlighted.

DAF STUDIES AND DIDACTIC IN MONGOLIA: TRADITION AND PRESENT IN RELATION TO THE NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF MONGOLIA

Historically, German has been officially taught in Mongolia at the National University of Mongolia since 1968, and 2018 marks the 50th anniversary of the event. During this period, the concrete foundation for German language, culture, geography, translation training and comparative linguistics was formed in our country and thousands of specialists for German studieswere born. Undoubtedly, this work has contributed to the development of bilateral relations and the achievement of a comprehensive partnership.Assessing and research the accumulated experience of German as foreign language Study in Mongolia, and its’ current trends will help guide future implementation. In the current foreign language training in Mongolia, “The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, teaching and assessment” been successfully implemented and are being creatively used in the teaching and learning methodology. Although the usage of “Profile Deutsch” in German language teaching is commendable, it is important to understand and convey the basic concepts such as can do, language means, competence, strategies, techniques etc. in one’s own language, and to help students master the learning methods and techniques.

Improvement of automatic speech recognition skills of linguistics students through using ukrainian-english and ukrainian-german subtitles in publicistic movies

The increased world's attention to foreign language studies facilitates the development and improvement of its study system in higher education institutions. Such a system takes into account and promptly responds to the demands of today's multicultural society. All should start with the transformation and modernization of the higher education system. This system includes the introduction of innovative technologies in the study of English and German, which should be focused on the modern demands of the world labor market. All this has determined the relevance of the research. This article aims to establish ways for students to gain automatic recognition skills through subtitling Ukrainian-English and Ukrainian-German publicistic movies and series. The first assessment of new language audio and video corpus was developed at the Admiral Makarov National University of Shipbuilding, using an automatic subtitling mechanism to improve linguistics students' recognition and understanding of oral speech. The skills and abilities that improved during the work with the educational movie corpus have been identified.

Online foreign language learning: Measuring efficacy versus traditional classroom study

The Covid-19 pandemic precipitated a mass transfer of educational activity to the online space in many countries. While advances in internet communication technologies have allowed many educational activities to continue throughout periods of closure of traditional classroom environments, the change necessitated a sizeable shift in terms of actual language pedagogy and learning strategies. Simply put, Foreign Language Acquisition (FLA) through online activities is different from traditional face-to-face learning (e.g., Chun, Kern, & Smith, 2016). However, while research can point to various advantages and disadvantages of online vs. face-to-face classroom environments for foreign language study, it is an open question whether the online study has the potential to replace traditional classrooms while achieving a similar or even greater level of proficiency gains. This paper presents a longitudinal case study of an adult learner progressing from an absolute beginner level to an intermediate level of proficiency (CEFR-level B1) through purely online (one hour) weekly instruction over the course of two years, and using learning records; it will elucidate the learner’s perceived differences between online and in-person language instruction. The results suggest that the online instruction yielded more opportunity for productive conversational use of the Target Language (TL), thus enabling the faster development of basic conversational competence compared to traditional classroom instruction.

INNOVATIVE APPROACH TO LEARNING FOREIGN LANGUAGES IN THE PROCESS OF TRAINING COMPETITIVE PERSONNEL

In the article, the authors investigated the place and role of learning foreign languages in the preparation of highly qualified bachelors. Teaching and learning foreign languages in Uzbekistan has become one of the priorities in preparing young people for social life, and expanding their horizons as students. A foreign language is an important kind of key in the knowledge of the secrets of the social humanities and fundamental sciences, including the core disciplines. Taking into account the importance of the mission of a foreign language, and the formation of the moral and spiritual world of students, especially in the knowledge of the essence, the process of deepening market economic relations, cardinal measures are being taken in the higher education system to deepen the study of foreign languages. An innovative approach to learning a foreign language is closely related to increasing the quality requirements of teaching foreign languages in higher educational institutions. The article highlights the role of foreign languages in the professional training of competent personnel. The authors emphasize that under the conditions of a new stage of the country's development, students show an increased interest in learning foreign languages.

Distance learning of the Chinese language for students of humanitarian specialties in Russian universities

The issue of the relevance of distance education has been studied by various researchers for several decades, since the general digitalization of society. Since 2019, after the start of the COVID epidemic, this issue has become particularly relevant in all areas of education, including the study of foreign languages. In the period 2019–2020, teachers of Chinese and Russian universities actively developed new distance programs that take into account both the peculiarities of learning with the help of modern equipment and technologies, and the difficulties of learning Chinese by students of Russian universities. For several years, the system of distance learning Chinese for students of Russian universities has changed significantly. Now new programs are being developed, modern platforms and applications are being used, and interactive learning methods are being introduced. Distance learning has a number of advantages, but there are also disadvantages that prevent the full assimilation of the material. In general, the new system of education differs significantly from the usual full-time form, and at the same time it allows solving a number of problems, especially in the field of teaching Chinese to students of Russian universities. But for the full development of this system will take time.

MOTIVATION ALS WESENTLICHER BESTANDTEIL DES FREMDSPRACHENERLERNENS AN DER TECHNISCHEN UNIVERSITÄT (AUS DER DEUTSCHSTUNDENERFAHRUNG)

This article deals with the growing role of foreign languages in modern society, about the urgent problem of motivation in the study of foreign languages on the example of the German language at a technical university, about ways to increase it. Various approaches to the study of the problem of motivation by scientists from different countries are described. The main factors contributing to the formation of motivation for learning a foreign language (German) are analysed. The authors of the article consider motivation in learning a foreign language as an internal driving force that makes a student spend time and effort in learning a foreign language. Knowledge of foreign languages is becoming one of the main factors of both socio-economic and general cultural progress of society. The individualization of the learning process is shown to a high degree, when a large number of internal and external variables that interact with each other play a huge role in the study of a foreign language. A very important factor in this context is student motivation, as not only an incentive to learn a language, but also as a lever that promotes learning. The types of motivations, the difference between the concepts of “motivation” and “motive” are described in details. The motive is shown as a subjective psychological reality. Motivation depends on human relationships. On the one hand, this is intrinsic motivation, i.e. a set of internal, psychological factors that determine and direct human behaviour. On the other hand, motivation can depend on human relationships, that is, be external. The authors of the article show that motivation is the main component of learning activities. It is intrinsic motivation that leads to the best results in studies, but it is necessary to develop both types of motivations in students. The study substantiates the conclusion that the motivation of students to learn a foreign language (German) is absolutely necessary to develop throughout the entire learning process. The article is of particular interest foreign language teachers, linguists.

FORMATION OF COGNITIVE INDEPENDENCE FUTURE TEACHER IN THE STUDY PROCESS FOREIGN LANGUAGE AS A CURRENT PROBLEM MODERN PEDAGOGICAL SCIENCE

The article deals with some actual problems concerning the formation o f future teacher cognitive self-directed activities in the process of foreign language studies.

The Map of Competencies of a Foreign Language University Teacher in the Context of Digitalization of Education

Over the past twenty years, a large number of legislative documents, educational standards have been adopted, effective pedagogical models, methods and approaches to teaching foreign languages have been developed at various levels of education in our country and abroad. The article analyzes these documents to describe the current competencies of teachers of foreign languages of higher education. The developed map of competencies of foreign language teachers, which includes digital, professional communicative, methodological and universal competencies, is the result of theoretical research and analysis of the pedagogical experience of distance professional development programs for teachers of foreign languages, designed at the Faculty of Foreign Languages and Regional Studies of Moscow State University named after M.V. Lomonosov. This map can be used as a tool for professional development, since it will allow teachers of foreign languages: to reflect and identify some gaps in their professional development; set short-term and long-term goals; determine the best ways to boost their professional growth; to create innovative models of professional development of teachers, based on a combination of fundamental professional knowledge, professional competencies and skills and assuming the formation of innovative thinking of university employees.

Pre-Service Teacher Performance and High-School Student Uptake of Oral Corrective Feedback in EFL Classes in Da Nang

The study investigates how pre-service EFL teachers at the University of Foreign Language Studies – the University of Danang (UFLS – UD) perceive and perform oral corrective feedback (OCF); as well as how high-school students respond to OCF. The questionnaire was given to a random group of 32 pre-service teachers, ten classroom observations were made, and five trainees were interviewed. The results demonstrate the types, timing, and target errors of OCF given to learners by novice teachers. Furthermore, despite some matches and mismatches between perception and in-class practices of OCF types, the majority of trainee teachers were aware of the significance and efficiency of correcting verbal errors. As a result, while there were some cases of needs-repair or no uptake produced by learners, successful repairs recorded predominated. The study concludes with practical recommendations to promote future EFL teachers' feedback-giving practices at UFLS-UD in enhancing their professional growth and students' speaking performances at high schools in Danang.

The development of foreign language communicative competence of bachelors via podcasts

This article is devoted to the review of the possibilities of using podcasts for the development of foreign language communicative competence of bachelors. Nowadays, the use of modern information technologies in various fields and disciplines, including in the study of foreign languages, has become increasingly widespread.

FORMATION OF A CONSCIOUS ATTITUDE TO THE LEARNING OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES: THEORETICAL AND METHODOLOGICAL BASIS

The author focuses on the importance of learning foreign languages on their practical importance in the life of a specialist and a person in general.On the basis of the analysis of domestic laws in the field of education and other normative legal acts, it distinguishes the qualitative policy of the state in terms of theoretical and methodological guidelines of society. The scientist proves the expediency of legal innovation in the educational process of learning foreign languages. This is due to irreversible globalization processes and transformations in the world.The researcher convincingly proves that foreign languages are not just academic disciplines, but subjects of necessity, the knowledge of which is applied in practice in various spheres of human life. This is an emphasis on the formation of one of the human competencies, fixed at the legislative level, and the entry into the world of new realities of a new planetary understanding of the essence of the philosophy of education of the 21st century.The theoretical and methodological foundations and aspects, innovativeness of their content, direction of implementation, fixed at the legislative level of Ukraine regarding the formation of a conscious attitude of the society to the study and mastering of foreign languages at all levels of domestic education are analyzed.The strategic tasks of national education at the current stage before state bodies and local self-government bodies in the field of education are highlighted. Directions for further research are outlined, taking into account European and international experience.
 Keywords: theoretical and methodological principles; society; foreign languages; legislative framework; state policy; the essence of the philosophy of education; New Ukrainian school; meaningful motivation; self-realization; competence; legal innovation introduction.

Students' Motivation under the Study of Foreign Languages in a Pharmaceutical University

Introduction. The authors of the research aimed to determine the level of students' interest in foreign languages, leading motives, as well as the presence of difficulties arising under the study of a foreign language. The importance of motivation in the process of learning foreign languages in a non-linguistic university is emphasized.Methodology and sources. The authors of the research describe the questionnaire survey and analysis of the results obtained in its course. This research involved 267 students of 1–2 courses of the Pharmaceutical Faculty of the Saint Petersburg State Chemical and Pharmaceutical University.Results and discussion. The modern pharmaceutical industry is actively developing, which implies the exchange of technology and knowledge between representatives of different countries. Most pharmaceutical companies have subsidiaries all over the world. A demanded employee needs to have the skill of effective intercultural dialogue in this professional field. In recent decades, the role of foreign languages has increased all over the world, and the necessity to know them is generally recognized.Conclusion. The paper has shown the level of the development of motivation for learning a foreign language by students in order to further increase the level of development of their motivation in the learning foreign languages. The conclusion was made that student motivation stands out as one of the main factors in achieving success in both educational and professional activities and, therefore, should be a priority for all teachers.

Early learning of English in a Kazakh school (results of a sociolinguistic study)

The paper analyzes the situation of early learning of English in a Kazakh school. The author describes the results of the conducted sociolinguistic research in the capital gymnasium; analyzes the advantages and disadvantages of the introduced system of early English language teaching; justifies the need for a large-scale statistical study of the current situation. The author introduces the term "kazinglish" by analogy with the already established term "runglish" and justifies its relevance for further research in a comparative aspect. The object of the study is teaching English in Kazakhstan primary and secondary schools. The subject of the study is the data obtained from the survey of informants (anonymous cluster survey). В В В Main conclusions: 1) change of one of the main mental and cultural paradigms in the field of foreign language education: focus on intercultural communication in action. 2) Primary and secondary level students identify motivation, professional competence of the teacher, accessibility, visibility as the main criteria for easy mastering of a foreign language. We conclude that there is a positive methodology for teaching a foreign language in relation to academic results and the predominant role of the interactive learning format.3) It is not necessary to talk about the presence of a certain talent for languages.4) It is necessary to form specialized training of students in the profile: humanitarian or natural-mathematical. 5) The problem of substitution of concepts and the resulting problem of colloquial foreign language. The so-called "easy and fast" method of language acquisition is becoming increasingly popular. As a result, side effects are unacceptable phonetic, grammatical, lexical and stylistic errors. 6) A pseudo-dialect of the English language is actively being formed in Kazakhstan, let's call it "Kazinglish" by analogy with "Runglish". "Kazinglish" has already become a reality. It is necessary to conduct a large-scale (republican) study on the mastery of foreign languages by the population. The results will allow analyzing the paradigms and trends that have occurred in the study of foreign languages in the country, and outline plans for the development of foreign language education in Kazakhstan.

On the Issue of Overcoming Ethnocultural Barriers in the Study of Foreign Languages by Students of Linguistic and Non-linguistic Universities of the Republic of Uzbekistan

This article deals with such a direction as linguistic and regional studies, which studies the socio-cultural aspect of intercultural communication. Therefore, today the goal of teaching a language is the ability to conduct a dialogue of cultures. Both new technologies and methods of teaching languages are designed to help this, allowing the formation of linguistic personalities who have mastered the profession and are able to quickly respond and adapt to new conditions in our rapidly changing world. Computer information technologies open up new opportunities for communication.

On Chinese Students’ English Pronunciation Problems and Countermeasures

Phonetic learning is the foundation of foreign language study and it is critical for the development of foreign language 
 proficiency. Many Chinese students have a poor command of English pronunciation, which often results in unintelligibility and 
 even misunderstanding in cross-cultural communication. This paper will explore Chinese students’ pronunciation problems from 
 segmental perspective and suprasegmental perspective, and propose effective countermeasures to cope with the problems.

The Spanish Language as a Cultural and Touristic Resource for the Chinese Market to Develop Quality Education.

Since 1952, Spanish has been included as a Degree in the Foreign Language Studies in the higher education system of China. The number of Spanish students has gradually increased and, until March 2020, with 6 Universities recently approved by the Chinese Ministry of Education (MOE), there are 102 Chinese universities that teach Spanish as a university degree. In 2017, the MOE of the People's Republic of China (PRC) published the Curriculum Plan in the Higher Secondary Schools, which incorporated the teaching of Spanish as a teaching option along with other languages, such as English, Japanese, Russian, German, and French. In the following year, during the Chinese President's state visit to Spain, a cooperation agreement was signed between the Royal Spanish Academy (abbreviated as RAE for its Spanish name) and SISU, under which a RAE-SISU Joint Research Centre was established. This study aims to publicize the situation of Spanish teaching in China, showing how a language can become a cultural and language tourism resource for Spain. An empirical study of student profiles was carried out at one of the most prestigious universities with reference to Spanish teaching in China, SISU. The data were obtained through primary sources employing a survey sent to the Chinese students studying their bachelor's degree of Spanish Philology, obtaining a sample of 159 students. The results revealed information on the studies carried out, also reviewing the most popular universities among the Chinese students in Spain, their stay period, and the destination image that the students have. The data will serve to show the opportunities for Spain as a destination for language tourism for the Chinese market. One of the implications of this study would be that it helps to explain how Spain can design a product for a niche market that demands Spain as a destination for language and cultural tourism.