The present study examines students' and teachers' views on and attitudes to the use of different social networks in teaching English for specific purposes (ESP) to future engineers. It focuses on the types of work social networks can be used for, on language skills they help develop. The study was conducted with a survey method. The research was held at the National Technical University of Ukraine "Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute" and the sample was 170 full-time students of Energy Management and Energy Saving Institute and 60 lecturers of the Department of English for Engineering. It was conducted during December-February of 2019 -2020 academic year. Within the context of the research, the students' and teachers' surveys were conducted. They were asked about their experience in using social networks and their application concerning university-related work and studies. The analysis of responses in the questionnaires showed that students and their teachers have a positive perception of using social media networks for English for specific purposes teaching in the classroom and outside. From the conducted research, we can conclude that using social networks is effective in ESP teaching and these advanced technologies can improve students' ESP proficiency, enhance their motivation for studying foreign languages, and can be used as corpora of authentic materials. The results of this research may be used for other studies concerning ESP teaching and technology application in this process.
Quarantine created the environment where educators and students have to teach and learn being socially isolated. The paper reports the results of distance learning realized by integration of Google Classroom, Classtime and Quizlet. The authors present the results of the survey based on a 10-item 5point Likert scale which was proposed to the learners after one month of distance learning in quarantine conditions at National Technical University of Ukraine "Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute". A mixed method research design was used in the study: quantitative data was obtained on the basis of the survey, qualitative data was received through analyzing information of individual feedback and group discussions via Zoom sessions, Telegram and Viber chats. The survey was completed by 35 learners which is 44% of the total number of Classroom Google participants. Reflecting on their experience during quarantine students assess completing assignments in Google Classroom positively (72%), as well as feedback provided by the teacher (77%). The effectiveness of Quizlet learning English online is confirmed by 57% of students, Classtime by 77%. Interesting content (66%) and structure of the course (51%) are the most important in effective distance learning for students. Some recommendations are given for English teachers who work from home. The findings of the research may be used by educators in Ukraine and abroad.
The aim of the paper is to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) of self-directed learning (SDL) supported by mobile-assisted technologies integrated into English for Specific Purposes course at university. Teachers cannot prepare students for all challenges of the modern world; therefore, students need skills of self-education to keep updated. SDL skills are crucial for today's learners but, as they include such features as ownership for learn ing, self-managing, self-reflection and extension of learning, SDL skills should be explained and trained by teachers-facilitators. The goal of our study was to carry out a SWOT analysis of the technology-enhanced SDL p rocess fro m teachers' and students' points of view. This kind of analysis will allow identifying co mmon and different issues that participants of the study encounter in the process of SDL. Therefore, we carried out a qualitative study with questionnaires to perform a SW OT analysis and to identify problematic issues. Co mparing the results, we found out that students and teachers identified mostly the same strengths and opportunities, whereas weaknesses and threats were different and required immed iate mean ingful solutions. Regarding educational technologies' impact, we observed that their integration also caused challenges for teachers to cope with. This study evidenced that technologies are a powerful tool to develop SDL skills and we developed some practical reco mmendations on how to avoid threats and eliminate weaknesses of SDL skills formation assisted by technologies. We also suggest some mobile-assisted technologies for the enhancement of SDL skills.
This article defines the modern interdisciplinary trends in engineering and the collaboration of engineering with other sciences. Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts (STEAM) approach has been chosen as suitable for teaching engineers in English for Specific Purposes (ESP) classroom. The authors created different tasks with art elements in teaching ESP. The topics of the tasks are: material properties, environmental/global sustainability issues, human factors engineering, employment of engineers, and engineering education. Scaffolding, appropriate time management, cooperation, creative atmosphere, native materials are the conditions for the effective usage of the tasks within STEAM approach. The results of the pedagogical experiment in 2019 at the National Technical University of Ukraine “Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute” (Igor Sikorsky KPI) amongst 30 chemical engineers proved the improvement of language skills and other skills of the 21 century such as cooperation, digital, problem-solving, creative thinking. An anonymous questionnaire confirmed students’ positive perception of the STEAM approach.
The teaching profession is always evolving. Teachers have to upgrade their knowledge and skills to be in line with students' and employers' needs. The challenges teachers are facing are the continuously changing conditions of the teaching process and technological innovations. Unsuccessful and numerous attempts to overcome these challenges negatively affect teachers' self-efficacy. The purpose of the study was to investigate the impact of educational technologies on university teachers' self-efficacy level changes using quantitative (pre and post-self-efficacy test) and qualitative (peerobservation, interviews) research methods. The study involved 60 inservice ESP teachers with different length of teaching experience. Teachers were exposed to a short practical course on technologies integration into the teaching process, and after that, they had to demonstrate the practical application of the knowledge obtained. The findings showed that educational technologies integration had positive influence on four components of teachers' self-efficacy: classroom management, instruction strategies design, students' engagement and technologies integration. During the course delivery, we dealt with two problems: computer anxiety (senior teachers), as well as technology and pedagogical content knowledge framework (novice teachers).
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