Developing foreign language professional-communicative competence of pedagogical university students by means of CLIL

Abstract

Introduction. The article describes a study of an original CLILbased teaching model at a teacher-training university, designed specifically to develop students’ foreign language professional-communicative competence (FLPCC). Its relevance is due to a lack of research into applying CLIL theory and methodology in teacher-training institutions of higher education, as well as to a practical need to improve the quality of pedagogy undergraduates’ foreign language instruction.The aim of the present study is to substantiate the effectiveness of implementing the proposed CLIL-based FLPCC development model at a pedagogical university.Methodology and research methods. The proposed model integrates the communicative and competence-based approaches, as well as the method of conceptual modelling. To assess and confirm the results of the experiment, the authors created a diagnostic complex test in accordance with the Professional Teacher Standard. A feedback survey among students and teachers was conducted, and a SWOT analysis was carried out. The applied methods of mathematical-statistical analysis: Mann – Whitney U-test, Student’s t-test.Results and scientific novelty. Experimentally and statistically, the study proved the effectiveness of the proposed CLIL-based FLPCC development model. A new model-based CLIL-course was introduced, uniting the content, communicational, cognitive and cultural components of CLIL framework. The conducted experiment contributed to an increase in professional and subjectlanguage knowledge, development of the FLPCC skills and professional and communicative strategies, aimed at solving professional and pedagogical problems. The study presents a new perspective on tandem teaching by integrating the efforts of teachers from various scientific fields. A diagnostic complex test was developed in accordance with the Professional Teacher Standard. SWOT analysis of experimental results revealed the effectiveness and viability of the proposed model.Practical significance. The study will be useful to teachers practicing CLIL, and for those looking for ways to develop FLPCC in a teacher training institution. Although the experimental work carried out in one university, does not claim to be comprehensive, the authors believe that the model implementation may improve the quality of teacher education.