RATIONALIZATION OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHING AND LEARNING IN REGIONAL UNIVERSITIES OF RUSSIAN FEDERATION

The authors consider the grounds, the course and the results of one of the research projects conducted by the English Language Department of PetrSU within the framework of the development of the flagship university. The aim of the project was to develop and implement both organizational and methodical measures to ensure adequate and acceptable results of teaching English to the first-year bachelor degree students who do not major in language studies. The data received through the analysis of the curricula of Russian north-western universities as well as placement test results and questionnaire analysis have revealed significant differences in the quality of language proficiency and language teaching conditions between leading federal and regional universities. Therefore, the need to define realistic and achievable aims as well as find rational ways and practices of language teaching in the challenging environment appears more acute. The authors argue in favour of the rational foreign language teaching model which was developed and implemented by the academic staff of Petrozavodsk State University. The model is based on the context-action oriented approach. The two key ideas of the approach are 1. the unity of action, cognition and communication and 2. the coordination of all the aspects of the teaching and learning process with all the given teaching and learning conditions. Consequently, the suggested model is characterized by a level approach to defining the goals of foreign language teaching; reaching functional literacy level as an adequate and achievable goal for less academically successful students; a versatile combination of modem teaching and learning techniques; application of the individual learning trajectory as a way to follow in self-study; the development and implementation of measures aimed at language learning motivation stimulation. The results received in the course of the research project and presented in the article prove the efficiency of the developed model in the present context.