TEACHING ICT THROUGH A FOREIGN LANGUAGE: MOTIVATION ISSUES

Due to globalization new educational approaches need to be implemented into the study process of higher educational institutions. The usage of a foreign language (especially English) as a medium of instruction has been a growingly popular practice in terms of teaching highly qualified specialists in different fields of science. Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) has been successfully used (both in Russia and internationally) to increase students’ foreign language proficiency, studied content and students motivation.

Following the trend of globalization and internalization, Kazan (Volga region) Federal University provides a number of study courses in English. The article considers the example of pre-service English teachers. In this particular case the students were supposed to reach a number of objectives: to study the content of the "Information and communication technologies (ICT) in teaching foreign languages" course; to increase their foreign (English) language proficiency; to master the basic methods of implementing ICT in a foreign language class. Particular attention is paid to motivational issues and issues of psychological comfort within a foreign language environment, especially when a foreign language is used as a medium of instruction.

We based our study on L2 Motivation Self System (Dörnyei, 2009), which is considered to be the leading one in Second Language learning motivation. The article presents the results of a primary empirical study on the evaluation of academic motivation aimed at identifying possible correlation between the features of student motivation and the issues of psychological comfort when a foreign language is used as a medium of instruction. The results of empirical research showed that at the present stage of learning communicative and professional motives dominate. The same position is occupied by the motives of creative realization, educational and cognitive motives. Motives of prestige and social motives are expressed least of all.

Based on the finding, we came to the conclusion that the process of studying at the university is not considered by the students as a prestigious goal in itself. It is considered to be a process of professional development that is fully perceived by the students.