Adaptive higher education of linguistic students via «flipped classroom» blended learning

Abstract

Introduction. According to the report of the international Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), one of the trends in education in 2022 is recognised as the creation of an educational environment capable of meeting the needs of diverse learners and, at the same time, forming global competencies of the 21st century, as well as being accessible and adaptable for all population groups. This person-centred approach to learning and the trend towards continuous growth in the number of students predetermine the relevance of replacing traditional teaching formats with adaptive ones. At the same time, the widespread digitalisation of education and the emergence of blended teaching models provide opportunities for implementing the principles of adaptive learning in higher education. The objective of the article is to identify the dynamics of the level of students' independence and self-control during the transition from traditional to blended adaptive teaching model, as well as to evaluate its effectiveness in teaching linguistic students. Materials and methods. The strategy of microlearning was used in modelling the learning content. To achieve the objective of the study an experiment was conducted at Southern Federal University (SFedU), Institute of Philology, Journalism and Intercultural Communication. It involved 4th year students within the applied bachelor’s program in the study area «Pedagogical education with two majors (Russian and English)» within the framework of the theoretical course «English Lexicology» from 2020 to 2022. The results of the pedagogical experiment were analysed using the nonparametric Pearson χ2 -criterion. Results. After the experimental and control group students being subjected to final double testing on identifying the level of foreign language competence and educational maturity the data analysis showed higher scores for students in the experimental group (significance level p = 0.048 < 0.05 for Final Test and p = 0.031 < 0.05 for Final Questionnaire). In the course of the research, the authors came to the conclusion that the teaching process within the «flipped classroom» model framework based on the technological adaptation of a discipline has increased the level of academic achievement in English Lexicology as well as educational maturity. Conclusion. Adaptive learning in a distance format via a «flipped classroom» model meets the maximum requirements for adaptive courses, such as the personalization of student learning with the construction of individual educational trajectories, systematic monitoring of mastering micro-themes and modules of the discipline as well as implementing controlled pedagogical influence with a facilitative role of a teacher.