PURPOSIVE DEVELOPMENT OF COGNITIVE COMPONENT OF METALINGUISTIC COMPETENCY OF STUDENTS-LINGUISTS

Abstract

Abstract. The purpose of the research is to present the purposive development of the cognitive component of the metalinguistic competency with the help of the metalinguistic strategies used in the process of mastering the foreign language (English) by students-linguists in institutions of higher education as a way to increase the psycholinguistic level of the metalinguistic competency. The article substantiates the essence of the concepts of “metalinguistics”, “competence”, “competency”, “cognitive component”, and “metalinguistic competency”, and presents the experiment and its results with the fourth-year Bachelor students majoring in 014 Secondary Education (Language and Literature (English, German)) of the Philological Faculty of the SHEI “Donbas State Pedagogical University” (hereinafter – the SHEI “DSPU”). The research methodology. Different theoretical and practical methods and techniques have been used in the research: deductive and inductive methods, the analysis and synthesis of scientific literature sources devoted to the problems of psychology, linguistics, psycholinguistics, the generalization of scientific investigations, the systematization, the interpretation, the separation of the baselines, the characterization of the discussions selected taking into account their intentional and purposeful orientation, conclusions, the method of observation and introspection, the questioning (the developed questionnaire by the authors), conversation, testing, analysis of the quantitative and qualitative results. The scientific novelty lies in the fact that the focus of the authors’ attention is not just the development of the purposive metalinguistic competency as one of the components of professional communicative competency in particular, and the metacognitive competence in general, but also its cognitive component that provides readiness for mastering the metalinguistic competency as one of the main activities implemented in the process of teaching foreign languages and their learning. The Conclusions. The interpretations of the concepts of “metalinguistics”, “competence”, “competency”, “cognitive component”, and “metalinguistic competency” are presented. The phenomenon of the cognitive component of the metalinguistic competency has not been well studied yet. The problem of using the metalinguistic strategies in the process of teaching the foreign language (English) for the purposive development of the cognitive component of the metalinguistic competency is highlighted. The study was conducted in the form of an experiment. The purpose of the study was achieved through using such innovative techniques as problem-based learning, critical perception of information, creativity, and engagement in implementing the components of the communicative competency to enhance effective communication skills, improve monological, dialogical speech, conducting discussions, preparing presentations or improving critical skills for commenting any type of text. The offered metalinguistic strategies for the perception, processing, and presentation of information help to overcome the difficulties that arise in the process of teaching speaking and its learning. The metalinguistic strategies suggested by the authors are based on students' awareness of their language, thinking, and social skills and abilities. During and after the experiment, it has been determined that the purposive development of the cognitive component of the metalinguistic competency together with the practical use of metaspeech and metamethods allows expanding the amount of processed, reproducible, and productive information, moving from the basic to the highest level of thinking, expanding the students' ability to memorize information and outline the prospect of transitioning from learning under the lecturer’s guidance to self-directed learning.