FORMATION OF STUDENTS’ SOCIOLINGUISTIC COMPETENCE IN LEARNING THE RUSSIAN LANGUAGE

Abstract

The article is devoted to the study of issues related to the formation of sociolinguistic competence in students of technical universities while learning the Russian language using sociolinguistic dictionaries. A definition of sociolinguistic competence is provided as an essential component of the competency-based model for future specialists. The article focuses primarily on the results indicating the level of students’ sociolinguistic competence development. The study is based on a survey of 266 students in technical specialties who are learning Russian as a non-native language in their first and second years. The questions were open-ended and aimed at assessing students’ knowledge of key sociolinguistic concepts and facts, such as the status of the Kazakh language in Kazakhstan, the Russian language, the terms “language policy” and “language situation,” as well as educational policy in the field of multilingualism. The students predominantly demonstrated knowledge of language status, key sociolinguistic concepts, and multilingualism policy in education. However, the survey revealed that the sociolinguistic dictionary is not sufficiently used in lessons as supplementary learning material. Its use will increase the sociolinguistic competence of students. Our analysis of the “Standard Russian Language Program” for higher education shows that the lesson topics contain potential opportunities for enhancing the sociolinguistic competence of non-philology and technical students by developing assignments based on the use of lexicographic sources. The authors emphasize the significance of the survey data collected from technical university students, as it can contribute to improving the process of learning the Russian language and enhancing educational programs in the multicultural context of Kazakhstan.