Modelling Of Foreign Language Business Communication Concentrated Training To Master Degree Students

Abstract

The relevance of the investigated problem is triggered by the need of further improvement of the efficiency of foreign language business communication training to Master degree students. This article is focused on the development of a pedagogical model of foreign language business communication concentrated teaching to Masters students at universities. The leading approaches to the research of this problem are logical and gnosiological analysis, method of actualization, selection, systematization and generalization of foreign language teaching methods and original sources. The article reveals, that negative effects of the traditional system of education are associated with inefficient organization of the educational process, which makes it necessary to identify and create the organizational and pedagogical conditions that increase the efficiency of foreign language business communication concentrated training to Master degree students. The main result of the research is the developed model of foreign language business communication concentrated training to Masters students, which characterizes activity of all subjects of the educational process and its organization, conditions for the effective implementation of this model. Also, the developed model includes monitoring the effectiveness of the educational process, aimed at diagnosing the levels of formation of students’ activity motivation, speaking levels, and the criteria of their evaluation in the process of training. Materials of this article can be useful for enriching foreign language teaching methodology and pedagogy.

Keywords: Studenteducationlanguageteacherlearningresearch

Introduction

Nowadays foreign language business communication training to Masters students is of great importance and an integral part of their professional activity. The need for effective training for professional careers in rapidly developing societies and their economic system, within broad international cooperation directs researchers’ efforts primarily to the study of the issue of updating content and methods of Masters students’ training in accordance with modern requirements.

The possibility of increasing the effectiveness of foreign language business communication teaching to Masters students at the expense of its organizational restructuring is considered in a much lesser extent in modern pedagogical studies, whereas the adequacy of the organizational structure of the training context of future professional activity is an important condition for improving the efficiency of the educational process.

Problem Statement

The leading approaches to research of this problem are logical and gnosiological analysis, method of actualization, selection, systematization and generalization of foreign language teaching methods and original sources.

In developing the model of foreign language business communication concentrated training adequate to the purposes and content of teaching Masters at institutes of higher education, we analyzed the study of Kovtunovich (formation of pedagogical model of students’ readiness to business international communication) (Kovtunovich, 2003), Penkova (formation of pedagogical model of students’ business communication skills in the process of teaching a foreign language) (Penkova, 2001), Khaustov (modelling of teaching system of vocational training of business foreign language communication) (Khaustov, 2001), etc. In the process of developing the models, majority of researchers distinguish the following steps, namely, setting goals and objectives of modelling; developing a model; testing the model in an experiment; and checking efficiency of a model’s usage.

The researchers point out that when modelling it is necessary to pay attention to didactic goals and criteria for their achievement; to teaching contents; to selection of subject-thematic minimum, methods, forms and means of teaching; and to training controls (control training progress).

At the same time it should be noted that none of the researchers of this issue did investigate the organizational aspect of the educational process, which, in our opinion, greatly reduces the effectiveness of the implementation of pedagogical models. We analyzed the experience of the application of a practical method of modelling of integrated course of special technology (on the example of teaching gas-electric welders) using concentrated training technologies (Klyueva, 2000) ; the experience of developing cycling model of the concentrated training in pedagogical college (Kolesnikov,1998); the experience of modelling of concentrated training as an educational technology in the experimental work of Azov experimental socio-pedagogical complex (Ostapenko,1998); the experience of implementation of an integrated model of concentrated teaching to humanities (Dunaenko,2000), and others.

Research Questions

As most researchers note, the effectiveness of learning activities depends on its organization. Depending on the enlargement of the academic units of time and material, which determines the degree of concentration, we studied three models of concentrated training, allowing for its usage in various conditions of realization of the educational process (Ibragimov, 1997, 23).

Advantages and disadvantages of enlargement of one organizational unit.

The second model of concentrated training technology involves enlargement of one organizational unit – of an educational day, where the number of subjects is reduced to two or three. During an educational week or within organizational units, the number of subjects is maintained in accordance with the curriculum and its schedule. An educational day is divided into two educational blocks with intervals between them for Masters students’ relaxation.

When using the second model of the concentrated training, the main educational and organizational unit of the teaching process becomes the whole training unit, but not one lesson. According to the definition by Ibragimov, a training unit is a class, which includes four sessions (40 minutes each), united by a common purpose. The block is a set of interrelated forms of training, which consistently and simultaneously realizes conscious mastering of educational material by Masters students, formation of knowledge and skills, unity and development their creative abilities (Dunaenko, 2000, 19).

Revealing the inner content of the training unit, it is underlined that the educational unit is not mechanically connected classes, but qualitatively different classes with the integrity and completeness of the process of cognition. Each organizational form of education in its structure (lectures, independent work on learning the material, practical classes, tests) has its own tasks of ensuring qualitative mastering of knowledge by Masters students and forming their skills, but together they form a system of tasks, the solution of which allows to achieve the objectives of a whole educational unit.

The second model of concentrated training eliminates the problem of training process being “kaleidoscopic” (the term by Ibragimov), but only within one educational day. In other organizational units, multidisciplinary is endured. In addition, the second model of concentrated training helps to reduce organizational problems associated with scheduling of classes and the distribution of classroom fund that allows us to consider this model as the optimal one for organizing foreign language business communication training to Masters. The disadvantage of this model associated with a long interval between educational units (1-2 weeks), can be made up with allocation of additional time for actualization of previously studied material in the next academic unit.

3.3. Disadvantages of traditional education to raise Masters studnets’ level of motivation formation in foreign-language business communication concentrated training at universities.

Diagram 01 presents comparative data of Masters students’ motivation formation levels. It shows that in traditional education, levels of Masters students’ motivation formation of the control and experimental groups before the experiment are practically the same. This in turn gives us the ground to create our own model of foreign language business communication concentrated training to Masters students at universities.

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Purpose of the Study

Having considered the model of concentrated training proposed by Ibragimov, we came to the conclusion that the second model of concentrated training, offering a consolidation of one organizational unit – educational day, and sectional learning process, can become the basis for developing our own model of concentrated training of foreign language business communication.

Speaking on requirements for concentrated training, we note that they are also important to improve the efficiency of the educational process. The most significant of them are: timely planning of the educational process and the development of clear criteria for assessing its effectiveness; science-based prediction of the results of the subject; training and methodological support, adequate to concentrated training technology of foreign language business communication; and development of educational aids, adapted to the requirements of concentrated teaching.

Research Methods

Based on the methodological positions of pedagogical research, as well as requirements that contribute to the enhancement of efficiency of the educational process, we developed a pedagogical model of foreign language business communication concentrated training to Master degree students. We determine a model adhering to the opinion by Khaustov. He believes that a model is a “mentally organized or implemented system, which, reflecting or reproducing an object, may substitute in such way that its study gives us new information about the object” (Khaustov, 2001, 84].

Model of foreign language business communication concentrated training to Masters students is to provide theoretically grounded description of this process. According to Babanskii, modelling method allows us to: clearly (in the form of schemes) describe the process under study, systematize the knowledge, give connections in detail between the components, and create complete classifications. All these in its turn lead to a deeper disclosure of the essence of the phenomena under study (Babanskii, 1989, 110).

Considering the modelling method, Ivanov comes from the fact that the task is to create an ideal model of the organization and operating conditions of any part or the complete pedagogical process (Ivanov, 1981, 102).

The subjects of the pedagogical model of foreign language business communication concentrated training to Masters students are the participants of the educational process, namely, lecturers and Masters students. The object of the modelling is the process of foreign language business communication Masters students’ training. The model includes diagnostics of levels of motivation, levels of knowledge, abilities, Masters students’ skills of foreign language business communication; working out the objectives and the creation of requirements serving to the effective realization of the goal, specifically, students’ mastering a high level of business communication.

Pedagogical goal of the development of the model is describing the process of foreign language business communication concentrated training to Masters students, working out in detail connections between the components of the educational process, that allow us to implement the proposed model effectively.

Findings

The results of modelling of the educational process of the foreign language business communication concentrated training to Master degree students at universities is the model, which characterizes the activity of the subjects of the educational process and its organization; takes into consideration the requirements for the effective implementation of this educational technology, and includes monitoring of effectiveness of the educational process, aimed at diagnosing levels of motivation formation of Masters students; levels of mastering foreign language business communication, and criteria for their evaluation in the process of training (Table 01 ).

It should be mentioned that the levels of masters students’ knowledge of foreign-language business communication are strongly interrelated with the levels of motivation formation.

So monitoring the effectiveness of the concentrated training model was carried out on the basis of comparing the dynamics of the level of motivation formation in the study of foreign-language business communication of Masters of experimental and control groups and the analysis of qualitative changes in the structure of motivation of students.

In our experimental study, we used a description of students’ levels of motivation in the study of foreign language business communication in accordance with its main indicators, proposed by Dementieva, and modified in accordance with the objectives of our study and the specific motivation to study foreign language business communication (Dementieva, 2001, 88) (Table 02 ).

Conclusion

The study of the theoretical foundations of the problem and the analysis of research works allowed us to draw the following conclusions:

1. Negative effects of the traditional system of education are associated with inefficient organization of the educational process, which makes it necessary to identify and create the organizational and pedagogical conditions that increase the efficiency of foreign language business communication concentrated training to Master degree students.

2. To build the model of foreign language business communication concentrated training to Masters students, it is necessary to single out groups of requirements in accordance with components of the educational process. The first group of requirements characterizes lecturer’s training activity. The second group includes requirements describing the learning activity of Masters students in the process of foreign language business communication concentrated training. The last but not the least is requirements for the organization of foreign language business communication concentrated training.

3. The model of the foreign language business communication concentrated training to Master degree students at universities provides a scientifically based description of the process and includes: lecturer’s knowledge and skills, which ensure the effective implementation of the foreign language business communication concentrated training; objectives, principles and content of the foreign language business communication concentrated training; methods and techniques used in the foreign language business communication concentrated training; training aids, forms of organization of educational process; knowledge, abilities and skills of Masters, providing qualitative foreign language business communication training as an important aspect of their future professional activity.

To conclude all mentioned above, it’s necessary to underline that the following recommendations are of great importance for lecturers of foreign languages at higher educational institutions. They can raise the effectiveness of teaching to a higher level and can be applied in any educational subjects.

Acknowledgments

The work is performed according to the Russian Government Program of Competitive Growth of Kazan Federal University.

References

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