Foreign language for first-year bachelor students: new strategies for developing critical thinking

Importance. The content of the course General English (B1+/B2) / General English for 1st-year undergraduate students of a technical university is influenced by many factors, both external and internal. As a result of this impact, it became necessary to adapt and implement new learning strategies aimed at developing students’ language competencies. New educational materials targeted to develop analytical and critical thinking are devised and integrated into the course. The developed teaching methodology made it possible to bring the teacher and students to the level of subjectpersonal relations, in which the teacher is no longer the only source of information. The aim of the study is to evaluate the adaptability of the selected material to the characteristics of a group of students.

Research Methods. Analysis of lexical and grammatical tasks which are based on authentic texts and audio and video materials designed to develop and hone students’ skills and integrated into the course. Analysis of the results obtained after students have completed computerised tests given at the end of each unit and placed on LMS platform.

Results and Discussion. The major objective of the research is to evaluate adaptability of the educational materials to the groups’ features. The main criteria for the selection of course materials are relevance, newness and novelty of the subtopics. While working on the tasks students learned to approach information critically, think globally, develop all-round understanding of the discussed issues and demonstrated an ability to use grammatical and expressive means of the studied language effectively, especially in writing tasks, where well-structured argumentation of the chosen point of view or their attitude is required. The course for the first year students is structured in a way to help students develop a new learning style and prepare them for new ESL courses that they are going to cover, including English for Academic Purposes (EAP) and English for Specific Purposes (ESP). The testing results of three first modules have represented the following picture. The best results can be seen upon completing Module 1 Test: the average score is 78 % (t = 2.82; p ≤ 0.05), the complexity of the tasks is 77 %. All students completed the test. The Module Tests to be followed displayed a slight decrease in performance, for example, the average score of Module 2 Test was 72%, the complexity of the tasks equaled 71 %, the average score of Module 3 Test is 70 % (t = 2.41; p ≤ 0.05) without any significant changes of complexity. The number of the students taking the tests dropped to 98%. The qualitative analysis noted improvement of the tests’ structure and layout (t = 3.08; p ≤ 0.05), and the content is notably improved. Vocabulary and grammar tasks are not changed at all (t = 2.15; p > 0.05).

Conclusion. Educational materials including the content uploaded in LMS allow educators plan and design the lesson thoroughly that in its turn influences developing students’ skills and their associations, stimulates and boosts the educational process and students’ motivation. Educational materials including the content of LMS platform make it possible to design and structure the course in a detailed manner, which in its turn helps to develop the required skills and associations in students, enhancing the educational process and increasing motivation.

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