DEVELOPING INFORMATION COMPETENCE: A CASE STUDY OF LINGUISTICS MAJOR

The importance of the article is conditioned by the fact that the focus of the modern labour market is a graduate possessing professional knowledge and skills as well as a range of competences that guarantee their career mobility, flexibility in interpersonal relations and success in self-realization. The research is based on the case-study of successful development of information competence of students majoring in Linguistics at Kazan Federal University, Russia.

The aim of this study is to develop and analyse the teaching methods aimed at the development of a specific set of information competences allowing searching, analyzing, selecting information, organizing, adapting, saving, and transmitting it. To determine well-grounded conclusions, the authors relied on a problem solving approach. The novel aspect of the study is the classification of teaching methods and identification of the most effective forms of work based on the authors’ own teaching experience. The main results of the study are to define and develop students’ abilities to work with the information contained in foreign language courses, as well as in the world around us, which, of course, is extremely important in the education of highly qualified graduates.

The authors conclude that the formation of the above-mentioned group of skills is directly related to the process of formation of information competence. The findings may be used by foreign language teachers at secondary school and academic institutions, as well as by students, graduates and post-graduate students researching foreign language teaching methodology.