From GE to ESP: technology of educational work with professional authentic foreign language materials for junior medical students

Introduction. Research competencies, including the skills of working with professional foreign language literature, various authentic sources, the ability to work with specialized scientific databases forms the basis of modern professional training of medical students. Aim. Description of the author's model of working with authentic foreign language materials for junior medical students and justification of the technology of organizing educational activities using specially selected authentic materials at the stage of the transition from general foreign language disciplines to professional communication. The subject of the study was the stage of transition from the general course of a foreign (English) language (GE) to a professional one (ESP). Materials and methods. The research is based on the cascade principle of the formation of foreign language competencies of medical students. This principle presupposes the systematization and practical application of general language knowledge, on the basis of which professionally significant communication skills are formed. The methods of analysis, synthesis, induction, deduction, comparative studies were used, which made it possible to assess the relationship between the system of professional medical education and the use of authentic foreign language materials in this process. The empirical study was implemented by integrating professional questionnaires (needs analysis) [24] into D. Kirkpatrick's four-type model for evaluating the effectiveness of training during the transition from GE to ESP at the beginning and at the end of training. The study was conducted during one academic year (September 2022 – June 2023) in classes in the disciplines "Foreign language (General English)" and "English for professional communication (ESP/EAP)" at the Faculty of Medical Science (N. V. Sklifosovsky Institute of Clinical Medicine, Sechenov University). The respondents of the study were 80 medical students of junior courses (1st and 2nd year students) of the level of English proficiency "Intermediate" (B1+) and "Upper-Intermediate" (B2+). Results. The results of the study showed that medical students from the study group reacted positively to the introduction of professional authentic foreign language materials into the educational process. The developed model of designing educational work allowed to form and put into practice the technologies of the educational process relevant to the professional field of medicine, which increases not only the foreign language communication of students, but also their professional competencies. Conclusion. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the parameters of the developed model of the application of actual authentic materials into the educational process of professional training of medical specialists. The obtained results can be used in professional medical education, improving and improving the process of training professional personnel at the level of development of research and socially significant foreign language competencies.