IMPROVEMENT OF THE STUDENTS MOTIVATION IN FORMING PROFESSIONAL FOREIGN LANGUAGE COMPETENCE

Abstract

The article deals with the issues of students’ motivation for foreign language learning in non-linguistic universities. Motivation is regarded as a factor giving focus to educational activities, dynamic character and determinant of its success. The paper presents a theoretical analysis of methods to improve students’ motivation in learning foreign languages and results of the research carried out at the medical university. During the research we studied students’ foreign language level: knowledge and skills, willingness to learn a professional foreign language with the use of an interview and a placement computer test. A survey of the 1st year students in order to find out the motives for learning foreign languages with the help of a special questionnaire developed by us was conducted. Such diagnostics made it possible to obtain information about students’ level of motivation in foreign language learning, their initial level of proficiency, and understanding the purpose of learning foreign languages. To improve students’ motivation a model of professional foreign language communicative competence development in e-learning environment was designed and introduced into the educational process of the medical university. The content-procedural module of the presented model includes technologies of foreign language virtual communication: e-mail, webinars, videoconferencing, an LMS Moodle. The authors believe that the students’ motivation in foreign language learning is associated with the prospective personality development, namely the formation and development of professional competencies, mastering new knowledge and skills, getting experience.