Basic Opportunities of Using ICT in Teaching Practical English

Background and aim of study:

Nowadays English has become the most commonly used language in a variety of fields such as politics, business, education and especially medicine. Extensive modern international relations initiated the need for a new language policy, necessary for the foreign language competence formation of future doctors. So, modern languages teachers require new ways of engaging students in a wide range of communicative tasks. As well known, Information Communications Technologies (ICTs) are essential tools in many educational institutions. ICT is defined as the activities of using technologies, such as; computer, internet, Smart-phones, telecommunications media to communicate, create, store, manage information. The use of ICT increases the scope of teaching-learning process. It provides with new learning materials. Thus, the use of ICT in foreign language learning and teaching has been the researchers' focus of attention. Having analyzed the researches by Black (2002); Chryssafidou (2004); Harmer (2001; 2005); Muirhead (2007); Warschauer (2000); Youwen (2010) on advantages of using ICT in teaching Practical English and impacts of ICTs on education and training, it was established that ICT is fully used by the teaching staff, as it activates cognitive interest, stimulates activity, independence, self-discipline, creativity and mechanisms of self-development of the students. But it was found out the issue of opportunities of using ICT in medical higher education institutions of Ukraine was not paid enough attention. Thus, we consider necessary to analyze this aspect in details. The aim of the article is to analyze the basic opportunities of using ICT in teaching Practical English in medical higher education institution.

Research methods:

Theoretical and empirical methods of scientific research were used.

Results:

The pedagogical experiment was carried out to check the ICT integration in education, especcialy in English Language Teaching in groups of medical students of the National Bogomolets Medical University. Results of questionnaires and interviews conducted at the Department of Foreign Languages with the groups of medical students (1st and 2nd years of training) indicated that most of the respondents show a positive attitude toward ICT. So 93.0% of students regularly exploted the many reference tools on the Internet, such as encyclopedias and on-line dictionaries (Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries, Webster’s Dictionary, ABBYY Lingvo). Students used them in self-study extracurricular work in order to prepare for the lessons and lectures. They noted that the search provided an opportunity to repeatedly listen to the sounded transcription, to consider some examples of using a range of medical terms in details, to focus on consolidation of lexical material and grammar structures. In turn, 85.0% of students used on-line dictionaries in class training. At the same time, 97.5% of respondents identified the use of dictionary as one of the opportunities that greatly simplifies the process of learning of foreigner languages. In this regard, it should be noted that 67.0% of medical students interested in particular medical topics visited updated media sites and websites from organizations and authorities, such as; scienceroll.com, clinicalcases.org., mayoclinic.org that allowed to work with newest information, with current medical events and thematic profession-oriented medical projects. Also, 38.0% of respondents regularly communicate with students in other contries via e-mail and chat, or participate in subject-based discussion forms through the Internet.

Conclusion:

No doubt, ICT cannot replace traditional methods in teaching process. But it helps to access, integrate, evaluate, analyze and manage information in order to functionate in modern changeable society. These results affirmed that the application of ICT gives medical students more opportunities to seach and exchange information, to communicate in real time. So it gives the possibility to connect the learning English to their reality. Results allow making a conclusion that the using of ICT in foreign language learning has positive effects on medical students to help them in getting more access to the modern professional-oriented information in all around the world. That allows future medical specialists to improve foreign language competence and to participate in specialized medical programs and projects which can be used as a launch pad for the development of their professional skills.

DOI and UDC:

UDC: 378.147:811.004 DOI: 10.26697/ijes.2020.2.9

Information about the authors:

Grusha Lyalya Aleksandrivna – Doctor of Philosophy in Pedagogy, Senior Teacher of the Foreign Languages Department, Bogomolets National Medical University, Kyiv, Ukraine. Research interests: higher education and training; http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7272-9314.