The university curriculum plays a role in motivating students to take up research. This 2-year action research explored the curriculum in English for Academic Purposes (EAP) and its influence on student further engagement in research work. The data were collected from University Master's students through two questionnaires given to them before and after studying the course. An explanatory framework for the course characteristics that affected students’ attitudes towards research focused upon the students’ profile (the students’ age, gender, major and language proficiency), career orientation and research orientation. The shift in students’ attitudes reinforced the complexity of factors that influenced their motivation to take up research after graduation. The authors draw a conclusion that future interventions to address issues with the Academic English course to raise the interest of University students should deal with restructuring the course in a way that the student should have more contact hours. The analysis of learning materials designed for the EAP course shows that most of them introduce students to theory- and research-informed perspectives and guide them in putting theory to use in real-world contexts which would be impossible in 30 contact hours as in the analysed case. Moreover, it should be linked to the students’ school practice and their small-scale research in real classroom settings.

Анотація. У статті проаналізовано використання методики змішаного навчання на заняттях з англійської мови у закладах вищої освіти (на прикладі Уманського державного

The paper describes the results of a research study on the problem of future teachers’ training based on the analysis of scientific literature and law regulated documents. The analysis revealed two main innovative approaches (regulatory-directed and subjectively intended) to future foreign languages teachers’ training in institutions of higher education in Ukraine that appear in the new changes in higher education in particular. The authors found out that mentioned innovative approaches should be evaluated as the most powerful and positive in their results: structural and semantic upgrade of future teachers’ training in higher education institutions (three-level model of training, additional profiles training, competence-oriented content training) and provide its further resource update (personnel, informational, technological, etc.).

The paper is aimed at analysing the current state of humanistic values formation of future foreign language teachers in the process of studying social and humanitarian disciplines. The research was carried out at Pavlo Tychyna Uman State Pedagogical University (Ukraine). The experiment involved 268 students, majoring in 014 Secondary education (Language and literature (English)). The following methods were used: analysis, comparison, classification and systematization of theoretical data, observation, methods of mathematical statistics and complex pedagogical diagnostics, generalisation, etc. The results have showed a low level of humanistic values formation of future foreign language teachers. It is explained by the fact that the disciplines, containing humanistic elements, are studied as separate academic disciplines without their tight correlation and applied format; humanistic potential implementation of social and humanitarian disciplines is not provided in syllabi of those disciplines and information on humanistic ideals is only illustrated. The results of the study reveal the essential difficulties in students’ humanistic values formation. The identified difficulties have led authors to the conclusion that there is a need for developing new approaches to improving the process of humanistic values formation in future foreign language teachers by means of social and humanitarian disciplines. The ways to overcome the difficulties have been suggested.

The academic year 2020/2021 in higher education institutions in Ukraine began under the conditions of deteriorating epidemiological situation caused by the spread of Covid-19 pandemic. Students’ training was recommended to be carried out in the form of distance learning or blended learning. This research aims to analyse Master students’ perceptions of blended learning in the process of studying English in higher education institutions. The study presents the integrated course “Foreign Language for Specific Purposes (English)” developed for Master students of Pavlo Tychyna Uman State Pedagogical University. The experiment involves 84 respondents. The empirical basis of the study is the results obtained during three-months’ work with master students. Theoretical, empirical and statistical methods are used to conduct the study. The study investigates benefits and challenges of blended learning in studying English by Master students. The results of the questionnaire indicate the quality of teaching the course “Foreign Language for Specific Purposes (English)” as moderately positive and point out blended learning as an essential streamlined approach for creating effective learning experiences. The obtained results confirm the favourable Master students’ perceptions of blended learning in studying English during Covid-19 pandemic. Based on the findings of the study, which indicate benefits and challenges of blended learning in studying English, the authors give recommendations to improve the course “Foreign Language for Specific Purposes (English)”.