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DOI: 10.15507/1991-9468.097.023.201904.607-627
English for Professional Communication: A Project-Based Approach to Teaching University Students (a Case Study of Music Students)
Elena N. Borisova
Associate Professor of Language Communication Chair, the Gnesins Russian Academy of Music (30-36 Povarskaya St., Moscow 121069, Russia), Ph. D. (Pedagogy), ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2216-7085, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Nataliya V. Letkina
Associate Professor of English Language for Professional Communication Chair, National Research Mordovia State University (68 Bolshevistskaya St., Saransk 430005, Russia), Ph. D. (Philosophy), ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9406-0079, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Introduction. One of the ultimate requirements for the successful integration of any specialist to the international market is his/her language skills. However, the current educational system often lacks streamlined techniques meeting challenges of dynamically changing sociocultural and professional settings, especially, when it comes to communication, field-specific terminology and self-development opportunities. The article dwells on project-based learning at universities in view of English for Professional Purpose. The aim of this paper is to specify some aspects of the project-based approach related to project content and structure, as well as to discover some of its advantages in the English for Professional Purpose-context.
Materials and Methods. The research was carried out at the Gnesins Russian Academy of Music, its participants having exceeded 500 students from eight faculties and amounted to 40 educators teaching different disciplines. The following methods were used to specify the ways to university enhance students’ English language skills through project-based learning: analysis and synthesis to study research and methodical literature at Stage 1; survey (interviews, questionnaires) to work with at Stage 2 – getting students and teachers prepared for project-based activities; comparative analysis and description to deal with at Stage 3, related to integrating project-based learning into educational and sociocultural environment, and supervision to deal with Stages 2, 3 and to fix the results. The learning material comprised items for developing students’ speaking, reading, listening and writing skills.
Results. The research findings include project content-and-structure-related aspects involving such factors as time, duration, form, type, activities, context and related fields. The authors also brought into the spotlight some advantages for more efficient professional training, namely, an increase in student motivation and readiness for successful communication, proper understanding and use of field-specific terms, as well as extending the range of self-development opportunities.
Discussion and Conclusion. The project-based approach in the English for Professional Purpose context creates new opportunities for students to learn to interact with others on an international scale in the realworld circumstances. The article is intended for English language educators and learners worldwide seeking to enrich mixed group experience by doing creative projects wit h real-world outcomes.
Keywords: professional training, project-based approach, university student, English for Professional Purposes, multicultural identity
Acknowledgements: We would like to thank music students and teaching staff of the Gnesins Russian Academy of Music for their playing an active part in our resear ch, as well as British music critic Geof frey Norris for his prolific participation in the EPP-based PBL investigation.
For citation: Borisova E.N., Letkina N.V. English for Professional Communication: A Project-Based Approach to Teaching University Students (a Case Study of Music Students). Integratsiya obrazovaniya = Integration of Education. 2019; 23(4):607-627. DOI: https://doi.org/10.15507/1991-9468.097.023.201904.607-627
Contribution of the authors:
Elena N. Borisova – defining a research problem, data collection, data analysis, conducting the research, critical analysis of the results, drawing the conclusions.
Nataliya V. Letkina – statement of the research problem, choice of research methods, literature study on project-based learning theory, discussion of the research results, drawing the conclusions.
All authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
Submitted 25.01.2019; revised 08.10.2019; published online 31.12.2019.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
