Psychological and pedagogical conditions for overcoming the language barrier among students of non-linguistic universities when learning English

Abstract

This article is devoted to the analysis of the psychological and pedagogical conditions for overcoming the language barrier among students of non-linguistic universities when learning English. The relevance of the topic is due to the growing need for effective methods of teaching a foreign language in the context of globalization and internationalization of higher education. The purpose of the study is to identify and systematize the key psychological and pedagogical factors contributing to the successful acquisition of English by students of non-linguistic specialties. The paper uses methods of theoretical analysis, questionnaires, testing, pedagogical experiment, and statistical data processing. The empirical base consisted of 247 students of 1-2 courses of technical and natural science fields of study. The results of the study showed that the key conditions for overcoming the language barrier are: 1) creating a positive motivational environment (r=0.68; p<0.01); 2) using communication-oriented techniques with an emphasis on spontaneous speech (d=1.24; p<0.001); 3) regular independent work with authentic materials (r=0.54; p<0.01). The data obtained are valuable for optimizing the teaching of English in non-linguistic universities and open up prospects for further research on individual trajectories of learning a foreign language.