The impact of project work on international students’ foreign (Ukrainian) language acquisition in high education

Abstract

The paper concerns the project work during foreign language learning by international students in HEIs. There is the assumption that project work may influence positively international students' mastering a foreign (Ukrainian) language. The article aims to characterize the project activity and prove whether it can improve students' foreign language acquisition. The theoretical (analysis, generalization) and empirical (observation, testing, and experiment) methods were used. The experiment was conducted in which 32 first-year international students participated. Both the experimental (n=16) and control (n=16) groups were pre-tested and post-tested in September and December 2020 respectively. Students' skills in reading, writing, listening, speaking and use of language were checked. The data received before the experiment demonstrated almost a similar level of language acquisition in both groups. The results of the experiment pointed out improvement of the experimental group's members in every facet of the foreign language. The key points which impacted positively students' achievements were social-cultural topics meeting their interests, specially elaborated program of the project, and teachers' support. These findings proved the desirability of including project work in teaching HE foreign language courses for international students.

Encouraging Students’ Critical Thinking Skillsin the Midst of Information Wars

“…This can be achieved by incorporating interactive and distance learning technologies, as well as emphasizing intercultural communication. And we also hold this view (Bilotserkovets et al, 2020;Lushchyk et al, 2022).…”

“…Concurrently, the authors fully support aforementioned perspective and the study emphasizes the need to prioritize media literacy and critical thinking skills development in education and daily life, especially under martial time conditions. They firmly believe that fostering these essential competencies is integral to cultivating a well-informed and discerning populace that is better equipped to navigate the complex and ever-evolving media landscape with confidence and efficacy (Bilotserkovets et al, 2021;Lushchyk et al, 2022).…”