Development of language mediation of non-linguistic universities students in the course of learning a foreign language

The relevance of foreign language proficiency of university graduates led to the design and pedagogical testing of the model for the development of mediation of students. The model was implicated in the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (University) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation in the town of Odintsovo (Moscow Region) in the 1–4 courses and the Kuzbass Institute of the Federal Penal Service of Russia (Novokuznetsk, Kemerovo Region, in the 1–2 courses) in 2019–2021. We clarify the components of the model based on a complex of cultural, competence-based and communicative approaches. The authors viewed mediation training methods and adjustment of the content of education. The working concepts of the study are specified: types of mediation (interactive, non-interactive and hybrid), approaches and methods of developing mediation skills. The principles of selecting the content of language education (development and development of practice-, cultural – and professionally-oriented variable topics; priority of dialogical forms of communication in the language in the field of the studied concept with an emphasis on mediation; conducting negotiations in the language, etc.) based on the results of mediation are substantiated. The experimental work showed that the content of education and teaching methods were the most flexible components of this model, which are quite easily transformed for any type of training (standard, mixed, hybrid and/or distance). The analysis of the language teaching methods used (debates, case studies, etc.) proved their compliance with the requirements of the current standard. The presented experience of the implementation of the developed model, including during the COVID-19 pandemic, is verified by the data of experimental control and measurement procedures that proved the effectiveness of our model for the development of mediation skills of students of non-linguistic universities.

1. Morozova A.L., Kostyukova T.A. Realizatsiya yazykovogo obrazovaniya v vuzakh Rossii i za rubezhom [Implementation of language education in higher education institutions of Russia and abroad]. Profil’naya shkola – Professional School, 2020, vol. 8, no. 2, pp. 53-58. (In Russian).

2. Stepanova M.M., Belenkova N.M. Tekhnologii kommunikativnogo treninga v obuchenii inostrannomu yazyku magistrantov nelingvisticheskikh napravleniy [Technologies of communicative training in teaching a foreign language to non-linguistic undergraduates]. Vestnik Kostromskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta im. N.A. Nekrasova. Seriya: Pedagogika. Psihologiya. Social’naya rabota [Bulletin of the Kostroma State University named after N. A. Nekrasov. Series: Pedagogy. Psychology. Social Work], 2014, vol. 20, no. 2, pp. 193-195. (In Russian).

3. Obdalova O.A., Gural S.K. Kontseptual’nye osnovy razrabotki obrazovatel’noy sredy dlya obucheniya mezhkul’turnoy kommunikatsii [Conceptual foundations for the development of an educational environment for teaching intercultural communication]. Yazyk i kul'tura – Language and Culture, 2012, no. 4 (20), pp. 83-96. (In Russian).

4. Kolesnikov A.A., Denisov M.K. Formirovaniye mediativnoy kompetentsii pri obuchenii inostrannym yazykam v shkole [Development of mediation competence in teaching foreign languages at school] Vestnik Ryazanovskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta im. S.A. Esenina – Bulletin of the Ryazan State University named after S.A. Yesenin, 2012, no. 34, pp. 23-33. (In Russian).

5. Iriskhanova K.M. (ed.). Obshcheyevropeyskiye kompetentsii vladeniya inostrannym yazykom: izucheniye, obucheniye, otsenka [European competences of foreign language proficiency: study, training, assessment]. Moscow, MSLU Publ., 2003, 256 p. (In Russian).

6. Galskova N.D., Gez. N.I. Teoriya obucheniya inostrannym yazykam. Lingvodidaktika i metodika [Theory of Foreign Languages Teaching. Linguodidactics and Methods]. Moscow, Publishing Center “Akademiya”, 2006, 336 p. (In Russian).

7. Litvishko O.M., Chernousova Y.A. Lingvokul’turnaya mediatsiya kak komponent glokal’nogo podhoda v obuchenii professional’no-orientirovannomu angliyskomu yazyku (na primere napravleniy podgotovki 38.03.02, 38.04.02 «Menedzhment», 40.03.01, 40.04.01 «Yurisprudentsiya») [Linguocultural mediation as a component of the glocal approach in teaching professionally-oriented English (on the example of training areas 38.03.02, 38.04.02 “Management”, 40.03.01, 40.04.01 “Law”)]. Vestnik VGU. Seriya: Lingvistika i mezhkul’turnaya kommunikatsiya – Bulletin of the VSU. Series: Linguistics and Intercultural Communication, 2016, no. 2, pp. 139-143. (In Russian).

8. Galaguzov A.N. Kul’turologicheskiy podhod v professional’noy podgotovke specialistov social’noy sfery [Culturological Approach in Professional Training of Social Sphere Specialists]. Yekaterinburg, Ural State Pedagogical University Publ., 2010, 178 p. (In Russian).

9. Zimnyaya I.A, Mazaeva I.A., Lapteva M.D. Kommunikativnaya kompetentnost’, rechevaya deyatel’nost’, verbal’noye obshcheniye [Communicative competence, Speech Activity, Verbal Communication], Moscow, Moscow State Institute of International Relations (University) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Publ., 2020, 400 p. (In Russian).

10. Newby D., Allan R., Fenner A.-B., Jones B., Komorowska H., Soghikyan K. European Portfolio for Student Teachers of Languages / Council of Europe. Strasbourg, 2007, 92 p.

11. Zarate G. Cultural Mediation in Language Learning and Teaching. Council of Europe. Strasbourg, 2004, 248 p.

12. Gardner R.C. A Student’s Contribution to Second Language Learning. Language Teaching. London, McMillan Publ., 2002, pp. 36-53.

13. Hawkins E.W. Modern Languages in the Curriculum. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2007, 353 p.

14. Solnyshkina M.I., Harkova E.V., Kazachkova M.B. The structure of cross-linguistic differences: meaning and context of “readability” and its Russian equivalent “chitabelnost”. Journal of Language and Education, 2020, vol. 6, no. 1 (21), pp. 103-119.

15. Shaposhnikova T.D., Kostyukova T.A., Zianshina R.I., Kopirovsky A.M., Gorbachev A.L., Gorbacheva T.M. The problem of interaction of secular and religious components in education. The European Proceedings of Social and Behavioural Sciences EpSBS, 2019, pp. 789-795. https://doi.org/10.15405/epsbs.2019.09.02.88

16. Ermolovich E.V., Timoshkov A.V. Digital competence of mediation specialist in education. Journal of Siberian Federal University. Humanities and Social Sciences, 2020, vol. 13, no. 9, pp. 1499-1509.

17. Kramsch C. Context and Culture in Language Teaching. Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1993, 241 p.

18. Cook G. Translation in Language Teaching. Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2010, pp. XV-XXIII.

19. Hutmacher W. Key competencies for Europe. Report of the Symposium Berne, Switzezland. Berlin, Council for Cultural Co-operation Publ., 1997, pp. 43-57.