Implementing European Standards in the Esp Curriculum for Students of Non-Linguistic Specialities in Ukrainian Universities

Abstract

The article presents the current tendencies in teaching English for Specific Purposes (ESP) for students of nonlinguistic specialities in the European context. The author analyses the requirements of English language proficiency set by the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), in the context of European integration processes. The National ESP Curriculum for Universities (2005) focuses on the necessity to acquire professional and functional communicative competence in English by the graduates, providing an opportunity for effective functioning in a professional environment. The current challenges in the ESP field in Ukraine are caused by the integration of the Ukrainian education system into the international academic community. The present situation of ESP teaching, learning and assessment does not satisfy the needs of students of non-linguistic specialities in Ukrainian higher educational institutions. The author discusses the idea of incorporating international English tests, such as FCE, CAE, IELTS and TOEFL in a higher education environment in Ukraine as a part of teaching ESP. The possibility of gaining the international experience in the field of certification and evaluation of students' English language proficiency level in accordance with the European requirements and criteria will help future specialists to develop their professional foreign language competence. The improvement and development of new forms and methods of ESP training and assessment in accordance with CEFR will give an opportunity for students to succeed in the competitive job market in the future.

Tertiary education language learning: a collection of research

“…According to Athanasiou et al (2016), while the ESP syllabus requires expertise in terms of the discourse related to each course, the selection of material is a painstaking process which is further aggravated with its alignment with a specific language level. In a similar fashion, Grytsyk (2016) explores the positive outcomes of the CEFR in the ESP curriculum in Ukrainian higher educational institutions, obtaining favourable results; as she states, "[t]he implementation of International English Tests into the process of teaching ESP in accordance with CEFR will undoubtedly lead to positive changes and transformations of the foreign language education" (Grytsyk, 2016, p. 8). Buyukkalay (2017) approaches the CEFR from a different angle in her study; the author examines the effect of CEFR-based ESP speaking and listening activities on the success of students in the Faculty of Tourism, reporting an increase in the achievement levels of the students in the aforementioned skills.…”

English Vocabulary Development of Non-Linguistic Specialties Students using Mobile Application

“…The Ukrainian scholar N. Grytsyk suggests incorporation the International English Tests in the ESP programs for students of nonlinguistic specialties, providing every Bachelor's graduate with equal amount of English classes, development of teaching resource etc. for meeting the European standards of ESP teaching (Grytsyk, 2016). Supporting N. Grytsyk's ideas, we can add, that students' interests and needs of their personal development should not be ignored as well.…”

Differentiated Instruction in English Learning, Teaching and Assessment in Non-Language Universities

“…Ukrainian researchers (Chesnokova, Sergeyeva, 2011, Grytsyk, 2016 claim that the level of foreign language proficiency of many first-year students is inadequate, especially those majoring in the fields other than Humanities. The problem is that the students often lack the required B1 level of English according to the Common European Reference for Languages (CEFR, 2018), which is determined by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine as a standard of English for school leavers, and demonstrate A1 or A2 levels instead.…”