Adaptation of non-linguistic students to online foreign language learning

Abstract

Introduction. Accelerated transition to online learning takes place in the context of transformations in economics, introduction of digital technologies, as well as the emergence of new professions. This requires a timely response to labor market trends both in terms of training content and the use of new pedagogical technologies. This study examines the strengths and weaknesses of integrating online learning into higher education. The aim of the article is to analyze the peculiarities of nonlinguistic students' adaptation to digital format of foreign language learning in one of the regional universities of Russia. Materials and methods. The methodology includes a comparative analysis of the data, formalized open and closed questionnaire surveys (April, 2020 and January, 2021). A survey was conducted among 400 students of Petrozavodsk State University. Methods of mathematical statistics: r-Pearson correlation coefficient, Student's t-test. Results. The study found that the majority of respondents (81,9%) highly rated their level of adaptation to online learning, their stress tolerance (55.6%), self-organization (61.2%), self-motivation (54.4%), and degree of time management (58.7%). The academic achievements of students who learn a foreign language online and offline were compared. Students' level of adaptation correlated with their level of stress and academic performance (r= 0.54; p < 0,01 and r=0.55; p < 0,01). Discussion and conclusion. The conducted research proved the universality and effectiveness of professionally integrated project methods and blended learning technologies in both online and offline formats.