Forming professionally oriented foreign language communicative competence in students of engineering and natural sciences fields based on the task-based approach

Abstract

The article examines the updating of language training for students of engineering and natural sciences fields in the context of globalization and Industry 4.0, when a foreign language functions as a tool for professional interaction, working with technical documentation, and participation in international projects. It justifies the limitations of grammar-translation practices, which lead to a disconnect between relatively developed General English skills and the inability to apply them for solving engineering cases, especially in productive types of speech activity and when perceiving professional content aurally. As a didactic alternative, the task-based approach is analyzed, oriented toward modeling quasi-professional situations and shifting the emphasis from linguistic form to meaning and communicative outcome, which aligns with the activity-based logic of learning and problematization mechanisms stimulating the search for relevant linguistic means. A model for constructing and stepwise complicating tasks is described – from reproductive terminological practice to project activities involving engineering decision-making and their argumentation; the significance of interdisciplinary integration and the use of authentic materials (drawings, diagrams, instructions, video resources) is emphasized, as well as the role of the teacher as a moderator supporting learner autonomy. Based on a three-semester pilot study in four technical universities (482 students; comparison of traditional program and task-based model), it is shown that the initial performance indicators of the groups are comparable and reveal an imbalance between reading and low values in listening and speaking. The final assessment with expert involvement from profile departments records a statistically significant gain in linguistic correctness, technical argumentation, interactivity, and success in solving the communicative task (p 0.001), with the most pronounced effect in parameters of interaction and discussion. Additionally, an increase in professional motivation and a substantial reduction in speaking anxiety were identified, as well as more frequent application of compensatory strategies, which is interpreted as the formation of the strategic component of competence and enhanced adaptability in unpredictable conditions of professional communication.