Strategies in Autonomous Learning of Professionally Oriented English Communication

Abstract

The article presents learning strategies that affect the process of students’ autonomous learning of professionally oriented English communication. The article provides various definitions and main characteristics of learning strategies used in the process of mastering English as a foreign language, and a number of factors that influence the students’ choice of learning strategies as well. The learning strategy of autonomous learning is defined as a course of a goal-seeking and controlled behavior, which is organized in a certain way and is chosen by students to perform the tasks that they set for themselves. The study describes an explicit model of mastering strategies based on instructions, Oxford’s strategy Training Model (STL), which was introduced in autonomous learning of professionally oriented English communication. The main steps for the model implementation are presented and conditions, which are to be followed in its application, are identified. Experimental training with the use of the mentioned model of mastering strategies based on instructions was conducted among first-year students of the Pedagogical University, who are autonomously learning English as a foreign language. The analysis of the research results confirmed the effectiveness of the chosen model of mastering strategies based on instructions in the process of autonomous learning of professionally oriented English communication. The use of this model makes the learning process more efficient as it increases the student’s motivation and self-confidence, forms autonomy and independence, shows the interaction of foreign language learning strategies with other disciplines, makes the learning process open and clear, forms responsibility, and teaches introspection and task modification.