Abstract:

Pragmatic competency (PC) of a foreign language teacher (FLT) - i.e. his/her awareness in TVET (i.e. technical and vocational education and training) specialist knowledge field of the students of the relevant university - is of major importance in the present-day world of TVET. The key reasons are two here: first, the shortage of PC appears to be a major barrier to teaching/learning (as it makes FLTs somewhat helpless and does not allow to build their rapport with students); second, PC is a premise for the quality assurance in higher education. In the paper, the authors show that economic schools are in the focal point in terms of PC requirements.

Under the fierce competition in the market of today, businesses need to constantly increase their level of customer satisfaction. Hospitality, being a high-capacity and developing business in itself, is an integral element of the operations of hotels, restaurants, travel agencies, etc., and here success depends on the professional level of personnel. To provide for that, all university faculty, including FLTs, should be able to develop in their students the knowledge in corporate culture that determines the ways of the employees’ reciprocity and influence their professional efficiency. Thus, FLTs have to acquire at least the basics of the corporate competency in terms of observation of company’s traditions and understanding interpersonal relations, bearing personal responsibility - though mostly morally and reputation-wisely - for success and failure of their future graduates.

The first round of the relevant research was conducted at a number of TVET (‘non-linguistic’) universities in Moscow (Russia). The methods employed in the first round were those of practice observation, teacher performance monitoring, questionnaire-based survey, scaling and ranging. The findings of the first round demonstrated that - out of some 200 FL teachers covered within the research - upto 90 per cent were but little aware of the TVET specialist knowledge required for their efficient performance at a non-linguistic university.

The paper provides an overview of the modular programmes/courses aimed at the professional development of FLTs that have been tailored and trialed in five Russian universities. Peer teaching/peer learning basing on the didactic concept of ‘scaffolding’ was promulgated within the courses, where professors from the special field departments provided training sessions and small-group tutorials for their local FLTs. University authorities responded positively to those training initiatives that help overcome the relevant teaching barriers, and certain administrative support was offered to both FL teachers and 'occupational' trainers.

In the second research round – i.e. after the completion of the professional development programmes/courses by the FL teachers - there was employed the same set of methods, as in the first research, and circ. 400 teachers were covered. The results obtained proved that there was a statistically meaningful growth in the level of the FLT awareness in the specialist knowledge that was relevant to the subject fields of the universities employing those FLTs. Their students who were questioned in the research would also welcomed this opportunity to learn from 'better equipped teachers' of 'peer professional level'.

Discussion of the results is offered, as well as the practical recommendations on the FLTs course development in pragmatic ('occupational') aspects.

Keywords:

Learning barriers, teaching barriers, pragmatic competency, foreign language teacher, economic university, teacher professional development.