Science for Education Today, 2023, vol. 13, no. 5, pp. 51–77
© Goncharova N. A., Khaitova A. I., Oshkordina A. A., Makarova E. N., 2023
UDC: 
377.4+372.881.111.1+159.947.5

Specificity for improving the efficiency of English language acquisition by IT-Master’s students

Goncharova N. A. 1 (Ekaterinburg, Russian Federation), Khaitova A. I. 1 (Ekaterinburg, Russian Federation), Oshkordina A. A. 1 (Ekaterinburg, Russian Federation), Makarova E. N. 1 (Ekaterinburg, Russian Federation)
1 Ural State University of Economics
Full text (Open Access) — Downloaded 299
Abstract: 

Introduction. The authors study the problem of training professionals having sufficient English language proficiency in the modern conditions of globalization of scientific and technological progress and the accompanying international discourse in the field of IT.
The purpose of the article is to identify specificity for improving the efficiency of English language acquisition by IT-Master’s students.
Materials and Methods. The sample consisted of 94 1st-year Master’s students, majoring in IT, as well as 25 university teachers of English for Professional Purposes with more than 10 years of work experience. The results of the theoretical analysis of the problem were compared with the data obtained from the survey of 76 Master’s students, as well as with the results of a survey of 25 university teachers focusing on the issues of finding ways to improve the efficiency of English for Professional Purposes acquisition. The specific authors methodology called ‘multimedia presentation’ developed on this indicative basis was tested in the course of English for Professional Purposes in an experimental group of IT-Master’s students (n=18). At the same time, a control group of 21 Master’s students were studying standard English for Professional Purposes discipline. The results were processed by means of qualitative analysis and methods of mathematical statistics.
Results. Comparison of the data from theoretical analysis and surveys made it possible to identify the criteria, conditions, factors, indicators and levels of increasing the efficiency of English for Professional Purposes acquisition, corresponding to the personal and professional characteristics of MA-students, majoring in IT. On this basis, the ‘multimedia presentation’ technique was developed and implemented in the experimental group of MA-students. A comparative analysis of the indicators of mastering English for Professional Purposes in the control and experimental groups revealed statistically significant differences in the levels of these indicators.
Statistically significant data have shown that the experimental group had more master’s students who achieved high performance, whereas the control group included more postgraduates, who did not rise above the average level in their performance.
As one of the possible interpretations of the data obtained, an assumption about the dominance of motives that are different in essence and formed in each group was made. As a result, in the experimental group, procedural motives could grow, creating enthusiasm for the learning process, which allowed participants to demonstrate high indicators. In the control group, only external stimuli could dominate. In the absence of significant enthusiasm for the learning process, this became a subjective justification for the MA-students’ acceptability of a satisfactory grade.
Conclusions. The developed methodological tools statistically significantly increase the efficiency of English for Professional Purposes acquisition by initiating procedural motives for learning in Master’s students. The proposed trajectory of increasing the effectiveness of these processes can be considered as a tentative basis for constructing methods for teaching English for Professional Purposes to specialists, who in many respects have already developed as individuals and as professionals.

Keywords: 

Foreign language communicative competence; IT-Master’s students; Educational technologies; Thematic presentation; Educational needs; Learning motivation; Professional foreign language.

For citation:
Goncharova N. A., Khaitova A. I., Oshkordina A. A., Makarova E. N. Specificity for improving the efficiency of English language acquisition by IT-Master’s students. Science for Education Today, 2023, vol. 13, no. 5, pp. 51–77. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15293/2658-6762.2305.03
References: 
  1. Buyanova G. V., Gitman Y. K., Popova T. V., Dolmatova N. S. Formation of students’ professional identity during university years: Stages of developing professional commitment. Science for Education Today, 2020, vol. 10 (4), pp. 44–60. (In Russian) DOI: https://doi.org/10.15293/2658-6762.2004.03 URL: https://elibrary.ru/item.asp?id=43933903
  2. Burkova I. N. Master’s student 3++: Portrait and new requests. Higher Education in Russia, 2022, vol. 31 (10), pp. 102–117. (In Russian) DOI: https://doi.org/10.31992/0869-3617-2022-31-10-102-117 URL: https://elibrary.ru/item.asp?id=49748307
  3. Platova E. D. The opportunities of a foreign language in the development of future specialists’ soft skills. Tomsk State University Journal, 2021, no. 468, pp. 219–225. (In Russian) DOI: https://doi.org/10.17223/15617793/468/25 URL: https://elibrary.ru/item.asp?id=47282960
  4. Shukhman A. E., Grishina L. S., Legashev L. V., Parfenov D. I. What competences does the regional market of IT specialists want? Development and approbation of technology for analysis of current vacancies in the labor market. Higher Education in Russia, 2022, vol. 31 (8–9), pp. 137–153. (In Russian) DOI: https://doi.org/10.31992/0869-3617-2022-31-8-9-137-153 URL: https://elibrary.ru/item.asp?id=49537516
  5. Sidorenko T. V., Zamyatina O. M. Professional competences of IT-students and their development in teaching foreign language. Tomsk State University Journal, 2013, no. 368, pp. 141–147. (In Russian) URL: https://elibrary.ru/item.asp?id=18840954
  6. Osipova S. I., Bugaeva T. P., Osipov V. V. Formation of methodological culture of undergraduates of technological fields of education. Perspectives of Science and Education, 2019, no. 3, pp. 161–171. (In Russian) DOI: https://doi.org/10.32744/pse.2019.3.12 URL: https://elibrary.ru/item.asp?id=38545594
  7. Lin M., Liu L. Y. J., Pham T. N. Towards developing a critical learning skills framework for master's students: Evidence from a UK university. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 2023, vol. 48. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2023.101267
  8. Barabash V., Milz M., Kuhn T., Laufer R. Development of a competence ecosystem for the future space workforce: strategies, practices and recommendations from international master programs in northern Sweden. Acta Astronautica, 2022, vol. 197, pp. 46–52. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actaastro.2022.05.017
  9. Nguyen Q., Buckingham L. Source-use expectations in assignments: The perceptions and practices of Vietnamese master’s students. English for Specific Purposes, 2019, vol. 53, pp. 90–103. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esp.2018.10.001

10. Bazarov T. Yu., Erofeyev A. K., Shmelyov A. G. Collective definition of the notion “competence”: An attempt to acquire semantic regularities from fuzzy expert knowledge. Moscow University Psychology Bulletin, 2014, vol. 1, pp. 87–102. (In Russian) URL: https://www.elibrary.ru/item.asp?id=21277895

11. Mestre-Segarra M. A., Ruiz-Garrido M. F. Examining students’ reflections on a collaborative online international learning project in an ICLHE context. System, 2022, vol. 105. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2021.102714

12. Kruglyk V. S., Osadchyi V. V. Developing competency in programming among future software engineers. Integration of Education, 2019, vol. 23 (4), pp. 587–606. (In Russian) DOI: https://doi.org/10.15507/1991-9468.097.023.201904.587-606 URL: https://elibrary.ru/item.asp?id=41498615

13. Chuchalin A. I. University training of STEM-IT professionals to innovation activity in 3D teams. Higher Education in Russia, 2022, vol. 31 (8–9), pp. 79–96. (In Russian) DOI: https://doi.org/10.31992/0869-3617-2022-31-8-9-79-96 URL: https://elibrary.ru/hecqch

14. Nadezhdin E. N., Fedotenko I. L., Smirnova E. E. Methodology of simulation modeling of pedagogical systems. Chebyshevskii sbornik, 2022, vol. 23 (5), pp. 291–304. (In Russian) DOI: https://doi.org/10.22405/2226-8383-2022-23-5-291-304 URL: https://elibrary.ru/item.asp?id=50327585

15. Siraj S., Jalbani A., Ibrahim M. Traditional learning problems of computing students. International Journal of Advanced Computer Science and Applications, 2019, vol. 10 (11). DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.14569/IJACSA.2019.0101124

16. Herrera-Rivas H., Roque-Hernández R. V., Hernandez-Almazan J.-A., Vazquez A. M. Attainment factors of information technology students from polytechnic university in Mexico. IEEE Transactions on Education, 2023, vol. 66 (4), pp. 311–317. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/TE.2023.3235831

17. Voloshyna T., Glazunova O. Types of academic internet-resources for it students’ individual work management. Education and Information Technologies, 2014, vol. 21, pp. 78–86. DOI: https://doi.org/10.14308/ite000513

18. Sunggingwati D., Haviluddin H. Learning style preferred by English and computer students in Indonesia context. International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning, 2019, vol. 14 (10), pp. 46. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v14i10.9997

19. Ellederová E. Information technology students’ involvement in in-class debates: Speech acts and modification of the illocutionary force. Discourse and Interaction, 2022, vol. 15 (2), pp. 28–52. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5817/DI2022-2-28

20. Mai T. M. Utilizing media-based materials to design authentic tasks for information technology students. TESOL Journal, 2023, vol. 14 (1). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/tesj.705

21. Makarova E. N., Pirozhkova I. S. New educational technologies to develop foreign language communicative competence of non-linguistic students: Digital storytelling. Philological Class, 2021, vol. 26 (3), pp. 231–242. (In Russian) DOI: https://doi.org/10.51762/1FK-2021-26-03-20 URL: https://elibrary.ru/item.asp?id=47559980

22. Alsalameen R., Almazaydeh L., Alqudah B., Elleithy K. Information technology students' perceptions toward using virtual reality technology for educational purposes. International Journal of Interactive Mobile Technologies, 2023, vol. 17 (07), pp. 148–166 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3991/ijim.v17i07.37211

23. Skantz-Aberg E., Lantz-Andersson A., Lundin M., Williams P. Teachers’ professional digital competence: An overview of conceptualisations in the literature. Cogent Education, 2022, vol. 9 (1). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2022.2063224

24. Su Y. Delving into EFL teachers’ digital literacy and professional identity in the pandemic era: Technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) framework. Heliyon, 2023, vol. 9 (6). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e16361

25. Mukhina Y. N., Kovalchuk S. S. Factors determining the motivation of non-linguistic students in online and offline foreign language learning. Science for Education Today, 2023, vol. 13 (1), pp. 28–46. (In Russian) DOI: https://doi.org/10.15293/2658-6762.2301.02 URL: https://elibrary.ru/item.asp?id=50355417

26. Rozhina T., Stepanova O. Level-based teaching of foreign languages in a higher educational establishment: Immediate issues. Professional Education in Russia and Abroad, 2018, no. 3, pp. 132–141. (In Russian) URL: https://elibrary.ru/item.asp?id=36296943

27. Soboleva A. V., Matsalak T. V., Individual educational track when teaching a foreign language to non-linguistic students. Tomsk State University Journal, 2022, vol. 481, pp. 215–229. (In Russian) DOI: https://doi.org/10.17223/15617793/481/24 URL: https://elibrary.ru/item.asp?id=50104086

28. Kolaj E. M. Challenges of teaching in mixed-ability classes and strategies EFL teachers use – a case study in Albania. International Journal of Language and Literature, 2022, vol. 10 (1), pp. 14–25. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15640/ijll.v10n1a3

Date of the publication 31.10.2023