FOSTERING LIBERAL EDUCATION THROUGH FOREIGN LANGUAGE STUDIES IN A TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY: CASE STUDY

Skills fostered in foreign language studies coincide with the outcomes of general education at the university level since they have remained a part of liberal education for decades, although their prominence in many education curricula has waned in recent years. Recently arguments for foreign language studies have focused on the appreciation of other cultures, encouragement of critical reflection on the relation between language and thought, enhancement of ability to successfully compete in a global job market. Today the hallmark of liberal education – communication, critical thinking, and creativity – is more important than ever as prerequisites for success in life (Modern Language Association, 2012). Traditional characteristics of liberal education maintain their academic value but are supplemented by the values representing the demands of a modern society. Fostering the values of liberal education in language studies allows educating students with a high level of professional knowledge and at the same time professionals – generalists with well developed personal and interpersonal skills. AAC&U employer survey report (2013) shows that the majority of employers agree that having both field-specific knowledge and skills and a broad range of skills and knowledge is most important for recent graduates to achieve long-term career success.

The article aims at analyzing how and to what extend foreign language studies influence fostering values of liberal education in a technological university. The research has been conducted in one of the largest technological universities in the Baltic States. The participants of the research are fourth year bachelor degree students majoring in technological sciences (N- 507) as well as lecturers at a technological university (N- 227). The method of descriptive statistics has been used to analyze the results of the empirical research which indicate that in many cases the students’ and lecturers’ evaluation of foreign language studies impact on students’ personal development is rather diverse.