Developing communicative competence in technical university students by overcoming the language barrier

Abstract

The article deals with the development of communicative competence in technical university students by overcoming the language barrier when studying a foreign language. The relevance of the issue under investigation is determined by the need to resolve the contradiction between the requirements of the modern society for the training of future specialists who can perform communicative actions in the situations of professional foreign-language communication and the existing system of foreign language training at universities where the language barrier factor would be considered in foreign language teaching. The author examines the notion of "language barrier" and analyze the main problems associated with the term. Diagnostics should be aimed at assessing not only linguistic material used in teaching and lesson structure but also the psychological component of the interaction within the system "teacher – student – group". The language barrier during learning and using a foreign language as a communication means is the main obstacle to efficient communication. The author analyzes the consequences that students face when the language barrier emerges, including emotional breakdowns and insecurity, reduced academic performance, hindered motivation for language learning, development of the incorrect interpretation of the interlocutor's behavior, etc. It is noted that the lack of communicative practice in the English language is one of the main causes of the language barrier. The article features the results of the study of language barriers in foreign language learning held by the students of the Aerospace Faculty and the Moscow Aviation Institute (National Research University). The provided results make it possible to produce key recommendations on overcoming the language barrier in students.