Language Value
December 2019, Volume 11, Number 1 pp. 45-70
Copyright © 2019, ISSN 1989-7103
Communicative competences in non-linguistic university
degrees
Oksana Polyakova
Ruzana Galstyan-Sargsyan
Universidad Católica de Valenica, Spain
ABSTRACT
As labour markets continue to change rapidly, the learning environments continue to be unchallenged in
the provision of new professionals across the world. This change has compelled the need for students to
attain communicative competences in non-linguistic institutions of higher education. In order to address
this issue, we propose a novel approach to communicative competences integration into the curriculum
development of a specialised foreign language course. For this purpose, we combine students’ needs
analysis with a personalised English for specific purposes (ESP) course design that motivates them to
learn more about technical and professional environments through a skill-based routing. Additionally, we
provide a scale for measuring training outcomes as well as suggest first results from the piloting phase of
the teaching experience. The findings of the study highlight usefulness of the customised competence
training experience.
Keywords: higher education, communicative competences, second language acquisition, foreign
language teaching
I. INTRODUCTION
Working environment in the 21st century is changing fast. As a result, higher education
institutions include communicative competences in non-linguistic degrees to ensure
their students come out as well-prepared individuals. The competence training offers
graduates the ability to develop their goals and acquire an understanding of a variety of
specific skills required to succeed in the labour market. Fundamentally, competence
means achieving something successfully and efficiently (Feldhaus et al.
2006), it
becomes a positive quality that all professionals want, regardless of the field of
expertise. Several studies were conducted in different countries, so it is essential to
point out some of the most relevant approaches and results.
According to a research carried out in the USA by Feldhaus et al. (2006), students of
university degrees need specific training that guarantees the acquisition of ethical, social
and professional responsibility competences. In addition, the authors of the teaching
Copyright © 2019 Language Value, ISSN 1989-7103
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Oksana Polyakova and Ruzana Galstyan-Sargsyan
project designed a qualification based on the essential competences for professional
leadership in organisations. However, we have noticed that the focus on the leadership
competence, provided by Feldhaus as the main course of orientation, contains no
broader competence vision and does not combine it with second language (L2) skills.
The work of Walther et al. (2011), also based on the US experience, argues that
competence-based training of engineering students is determined by a series of factors
of the education system. Unlike the previous study, the authors propose the use of a
framework based on seven blocks of professional skills linked to the technical training
model. Due to the linguistic profile of students -future American engineers whose
mother tongue is English-, the communicative competence in L2 has not been
considered.
The research of Argüelles Álvarez (2013) conducted in Spain reveals ground-breaking
achievements in teaching specialised English and content course. The combination of
Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) methods as well as a set of generic
competences were taught within Moodle environment and on-campus. The assessment
scale viewed holistically could gain precision and relevance in connection to
competences achievement. In general, course activities planned alongside with project
work designed specifically for the course were insightful for our L2 curriculum design.
Another investigation, undertaken by Kongsom (2016) in Thailand, improves the use of
communicative strategies in engineering degrees. Foreign language students often face
difficulties in learning English, specifically oral expression. The communicative
strategy is closely linked to communicative competences. As determined by the study
results, a course of ten communicative strategies managed to improve communicative
and strategic competences of university students.
The main objective of our study is to investigate the combined methods and procedures
related to the L2 communicative competence development. Additionally, the research
included mediation as a new key aspect for teaching and learning foreign languages
according to the CEFR. The study`s research questions to explore will include:
(i)
What type of methodology and procedures could address the
implementation of linguistic competences in L2 training at university
level?
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Communicative competences in non-linguistic university degrees
(ii)
Is it possible to personalise and bear in mind students’ interests while
designing a training course?
(iii)
Can we assess training results?
(iv)
Does the use and piloting of a proposed course model correlate with
expected learning outcomes in terms of competences acquired?
Thus, thorough research on literature addressing communicative competence training
will be carried out. Scholarly articles will be used, and a qualitative review and analysis
will be carried out to justify our stance on the importance of communicative
competences in higher education across the world. In our study, the concept of non-
linguistic university degree allows variation from technical to financial areas to
extrapolate research results. The different political and geographical situations including
various activities and social context around the world affect the issue.
Additionally, the attitude and the students’ expectations are critical factors in the
attainment of competences among students. Many students may view the competences
as a waste of time and irrelevant in their field and our task is to change this point of
view through the present research.
The need to train students to communicate effectively enough for the modern-day
workplaces is the main reason for this article as it discusses the importance of
communicative competency in non-language degrees across the world. The study is
critical in determining the attention that higher education is giving to communicative
competence. The research will also be vital in determining how the institutions are
adjusting towards providing students with the competence both in language and non-
language degrees.
II. THEORETICAL BACKGROUND
II.1. Concept of communicative competence and its development
The concept of communicative competence was introduced by Hymes (1972). The term
was coined by Hymes while reacting against the perceived inadequacy of Noam
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Chomsky’s (1965) difference between the performance and linguistic competence. In
order to address Chomsky’s abstract idea of competence, Hymes conducted an
ethnographic assessment of communicative competence that integrated communicative
form and functions as they relate to one another. Hymes’ approach towards improving
the understanding of communicative competence is described as the ethnography of
communication. Hymes believed in the ability to communicate properly needs to be
developed in language teaching. It implies that students must be taught about various
ways of learning a language in their daily communication to enable them to demonstrate
their language mastery. The aim of Communicative Language Teaching is to infuse into
individuals the ability to create and to construct utterances (spoken and written), which
have the desired social value or purpose (Kramsch 2006).
Fundamentally, communicative competence concept has been widely recognised in the
teaching of English language, as well as other fields such as sociolinguistic, discourse,
strategic and pragmatic competences. According to Kramsch
(2006), language
communicative competence is the expression, interpretation and negotiation of meaning
between interlocutors. The development of communicative competence among the
students has contributed to a huge recognition of English as a fundamental
communicating tool after graduation in many parts of Europe where the language is
treated as a foreign language. The use of the English language, for example, skills and
cultural aspects have permitted them to learn about ways of communicating with people
of different cultural backgrounds in real language contexts (Pepper 2011).
At the pedagogic level, the approach through which the competences highlight the
practical side of learning, the use of the learning effects for the individuals as well as the
society. In this regard, studies have shown that the use of competences in defining the
objective is crucial as it allows the education to provide a considerably more direct
answer to the concrete needs of the learning community. Voiculescu (2013) reported
that the integrator model of skills enhanced a proper interpretation of the concept,
thereby preserving the elements identified. According to the authors, the communicative
competences have the ability to address the knowledge and abilities that integrate the
values, attitudes and the necessity for problem-solving.
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The communicative competence provides knowledge that ensures the theoretical basis
of the competence, the ability to represent the executory, acting side of the competence
and the personality characteristics that direct the competence from the value point of
view
(Kramsch
2006). Within the university environment, the communicative
competence is defined in reference to given disciplinary competences. Notably, they are
competences that transcend the education discipline. Theoretically, some skills are
learnt with the disciplinary ones. They might be included explicitly and implicitly.
The establishment of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) has
further enhanced the development and use of the communicative competence in the
teaching of the University students across European nations (Council of Europe 2018).
Primarily, the framework was developed as a continuation of the Council of Europe’s
work in language education during the 1970s and 1980s. Notably, the action-oriented
approach of the framework builds on and proceeds beyond a communicative approach
in the teaching of the foreign languages amongst the university students. Thus, they are
led to a better perception of what is general and what is specific concerning the
linguistic organisation of different languages.
There are several theories that support the communicative language teaching. One of
these theories is Hymes’ theory (1972) of communicative learning. In this theory,
Hymes (1972) proposed a theory of language performance or use. This theory bases its
core arguments on the acceptability and therefore pursues the models and rules that
underlie within people’s performance. Hymes’ framework (1972) goes beyond the
difference between the competence and performance, based on the fact that both can be
important. This has led to the development and understanding of the communicative
competence teaching, which emphasizes all the four skills, namely listening, speaking,
reading and writing. However, listening and speaking have a special place in
Communicative Language Teaching.
II.2. Necessity and feasibility of developing communicative competence
Teaching communicative competence provides the students with an opportunity to
speak and share their ideas in a relatively relaxed manner. Ideally, the students are
subject to being the major players or protagonists within the classroom settings as part
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of foreign language learning (Valdman 1992). As such, their initiative and motivation
are both enhanced. Studies have shown that the problems that can be brought by the
lack of competence in a foreign language can be solved through the implementation of
communicative competence as a teaching strategy (Pepper
2011). Communicative
competence does not only focus on the development of the students’ listening and
speaking abilities but also their writing skills.
Many national governments have tried to adapt the curricula of their programmes to the
needs of the labour market, and equipping their students with the transferable
competences that will enable them to apply their knowledge in various professional
areas. The future employer requires these skills. Teaching the communicative
competence in non-linguistic universities, therefore, facilitates the introduction of the
new teaching methods, which creates a diversified teaching process. Under these
circumstances, teachers can utilize the various resources to assist the students in
developing their communicative skills, which is one way through which diversity is
manifested.
For instance, English teachers might use pictures to foster group discussions, thereby
assisting students in developing improved informational understanding and the cultural
backgrounds on various topics. Games also constitute one mechanism that promotes
communicative competence (Halász and Michel 2011). Ideally, games can be used to
help students learn about the foreign vocabulary and practice their writing skills. More
specifically, teachers can assist the student in learning about the vocabulary and
consequently practising their writing skills. In some areas, teachers can help students in
developing contexts in a foreign language when teaching them grammar and the culture
of that particular foreign language. Students can be asked various integrative questions
to enable them to practice not only their spoken foreign language but also learn about
the different cultures (Valdman 1992). Undeniably, this can be an excellent platform for
students to learn and deeply study a foreign language.
II.3. Challenges of developing student’s communicative competences
Studies have reported that inadequate interaction between teachers and students
contribute to one of the significant traditional limitations to the learning of foreign
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language. Traditional learning encompasses a simple interaction mechanism where
teachers are involved in lecturing while students take notes and rarely participate in
class. Further, test-based teaching methods make learners develop a certain degree of
reluctance and therefore become unable to participate in various classroom activities. In
this sense, communicative teaching approach is still a journey from the theory to
practice within the non-linguistic universities (Halász and Michel 2011).
Lack of individual initiative towards learning the foreign language also influences the
effectiveness of teaching. Learning a foreign language calls for an own effort, although
a joint initiative by both the teacher and students is essential. While it is evident that
most universities pay more attention to the development of the students’ communicative
competence, the traditional systems of assessment do not take into account whether or
not the students have genuinely developed such competences (Kramsch 2006). In most
cases, such methods are still ingrained, even though the dichotomy between fluency and
accuracy is always worth to be considered. Related to this is the fact that students may
not be willing to learn by themselves. Studies have found that students who do not
speak the foreign language as their major may demonstrate a varied opinion about that
particular language (Halász and Michel 2011). As such, the absence of both the input
and output reduces the students’ interest and skills in reading the vocabularies. This
kind of attitude towards learning a foreign language may severely impede students’
learning. In essence, the teachers and students need to establish a steady relationship
between foreign language teaching and learning.
III. METHODS AND PROCEDURES
The communicative competence deals with the ability for a student to communicate,
manage, relate, create and recognise. In order to tackle the issue of personalised
implementation in non-linguistic degree second language (L2) learning and curriculum
design, the following methods and procedures will be used in this study. Initially, we
will perform students’ needs analysis and then, in line with its results, we will design a
combined training process based on communicative competences progress. Finally, an
assessment scale and a self-assessment table will be proposed to measure competence
achievement.
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III.1. Student needs survey design
As demonstrated by the soft competences required in the university and work context, it
is necessary to be a qualified specialist and to have a correct command of professional
expertise related to the ability to communicate effectively. In addition to this challenge,
university students have to acquire L2 (English language) skills. Thus, non-linguistic
education requires a strong focus on communicative competences embedded in
curricular programming and teaching materials of specialised language subjects. A
method selected for detecting students’ points of view and motivation is a needs
analysis that is going to collect learners’ background information on English training
and special vocabulary preferences.
76 engineering students of the Universitat
Politècnica de València took part in our survey and provided us with their opinions and
suggestions that will be described later in the Results section.
III.2. Communicative competences learning process
It should be noted that a student survey is an essential starting point in the research
process. Due to its personalised approach, we can design a didactic planning aimed at
achieving curricular objectives. Specifically, the linguistic objective focuses on level B2
(Council of Europe 2018, 2001) and entails a correct mastery of the four skills (oral and
written expression, reading and listening comprehension). Moreover, a number of
additional
21st century competences should be included in the learning process:
mediation and online training competences, as well as pluricultural and plurilingual
competences.
However, at the lexical level, needs analysis outcomes will provide us with solid data
on thematic choice for the course dossier. The study looks at ways student motivation
regarding themes is used to reinforce language competence training. A course dossier
contents will be compiled from ten units based on vocabulary section approved by
students, a wide range of activities also combines speaking, grammar, reading,
paraphrasing and translation tasks. Each unit will promote the use and development of
competences through a dynamic L2 environment as well as encourage reflection point
on the knowledge and skills acquired or in progress.
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This didactic strategy is proposed in line with the learning process based on tasks and
projects and follows the curricular design guidelines set by Nation and Macalister
(2010), Nunan
(2013,
2004) and Ur (2012). These guidelines will allow certain
linguistic concepts to be worked on with a greater degree of adaptation to the learning
objectives and transversal competences.
III.3. Measuring language competences
As mentioned before, a number of higher education institutions have introduced key
competence measurement, including communication in foreign language as one of them
(e.g. Universita Di Bologna, Coventry University, University of Cordoba, Alexandru
Ioan Cuza University, among others). However, we cannot use them to tackle specific
language competences while teaching foreign languages in non-linguistic degrees
because of the missing linguistic components. For the current study, the researchers had
to design a specific scale for measuring communicative competences` achievement
within a specialised training context.
Language factors promoted by the updated Common European Framework of Reference
for Language (Council of Europe 2018) will play an active role in emphasising the B2
level of English through seven language competences (LC): LC-01 Listening, LC-02
Speaking, LC-03 Reading, LC-04 Writing, LC-05 Mediation, LC-06 Pluricultural and
plurilingual competence, LC-07 Online training competence.
IV. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
IV.1. Needs survey analysis
In line with the Bologna process priorities, our research places students at the centre of
the learning process and we will study both their linguistic background and technical
thematic preferences. 76 engineering degree students of the Universitat Politècnica de
València, Spain (academic year 2017-2018) took part in a needs survey aimed at
providing specific information through the Google format survey. The purpose of the
survey was to get a better understanding of our future students’ language background,
future linguistic needs together with motivation towards a number of specific topics.
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The latter has become significantly relevant for the students’ involvement in their own
communicative competence advance. In this respect, it is worth mentioning that the
training designed aims a diverse group of future engineering staff specialised in
industrial technologies, chemistry, biomedicine, energy among other. So, a closer
connection between the learning process planned and the way we personalise it, can
keep the course aligned with a meaningful competences training.
Here below are displayed the results of our survey (See Figures 1, 2 and 3):
a) Language learning
How long have you been studying English?
Since secondary school
Since high school
Since university
Figure 1. Language learning background.
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Have you got any official language
certificate?
A2 certificate
B1 certificate
B2 certificate
Figure 2. Official certificates obtained by engineering students.
Have you ever studied English at a B1 or B2
level?
No
General English B1 course
Technical English B1 course
Figure 3. Previous general or technical language learning background.
According to the answers received, the majority of university students (82%) started
learning English in elementary school. 42% of the respondents admit having the official
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A2 certificate in English, 8% have an official B1 level and 8% a B2, while 42% lack
any type of official certification. Regarding the previous experience of learning English,
the proportion obtained corresponds to the almost equal distribution of courses of
general English B1 (22%), technical English B1 (25%), general English B2 (29%) or
absence of previous experience (24%).
b) Future L2 use and vocabulary preferences
Where will you probably work in the future?
Working place and business
Friends and family
Travelling and free time
Figure 4. Future working place.
The use of English in the future leaves us with clear evidence of the respondents
recognising the importance of L2 to achieve professional goals. The majority (78.9%)
have indicated the use of English in their future jobs as the most likely scenario, the
second most voted option (13.2%) is travel and free time. The third choice (6.6%) is the
university and educational environment, and friends and family (1.3%) rank in the last
place.
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Where will you probably work in the future?
Process management and
maintenance
Project management/consulting
Technical sales and
customerservice
Figure 5. Future work options.
What type of language use will you need?
General English Grammar
Specific English Vocabulary
Specific English Grammar
Figure 6. Types of future language use.
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What English language skills will you need
for your future?
Listening
Speaking
Writing
Figure 7. Types of future language skills needs.
In the survey, students choose to work in the future in the areas of process management
and maintenance (32.9%), research and development (28.9%), project management and
consulting (27.8%), technical sales assistance and customer service (10.5%). In line
with job expectations, students of university degrees indicate future needs of specific
English vocabulary (47.4%), general English vocabulary (39.5%), and, to a lesser
extent, general English grammar (7.9%) or specific grammar (5.3%). The linguistic skill
most in demand for their professional future is oral expression in L2 (81.6%), followed
by oral comprehension (9.2%), written expression (5.3%) and reading comprehension
(3.9%).
The data from the topic preference survey gave promising results. Most of the
participants agreed with the topics and the precise values for each one of the topics are
listed in the figure below:
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TOPIC PREFERENCES
Completely agree
Agree
No opinion
Disagree
RULES AND REGULATIONS
7,9
60,5
25
6,6
BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY
46,1
48,7
3,1,3
PROJECT, CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION
36,8
50
13,2
0
COMMUNICATION AND CULTURE
22,4
60,5
10,5
6,6
WORKPLACE
25
60,5
11,8
2,6
BUILDINGS AND INSTALLATIONS
26,7
50,7
14,7
8
ACADEMIC STUDIES
14,5
60,5
18,4
6,6
TRANSPORT AND TRAVEL
25
53,9
14,5
6,6
ENVIRONMENT AND GEOGRAPHY
30,3
47,4
14,5
7,9
HEALTH AND TECHNOLOGY
25
43,4
15,8
15,8
Figure 8. Topic preferences.
c) Proposals and suggestions
The needs analysis survey includes the following set of open-ended questions:
What other subject could we include in the design of the course? Several
respondents pointed out the need to incorporate: New technologies, Art,
Cinema and history, Science, Teamwork, Job application, Marketing
strategies, How to communicate well, Business and negotiation, among
others.
What would be the best English textbook for each respondent? Among the
answers obtained are, for example, English grammar in use, Gold First,
Objective First, Communicating across cultures, Cambridge English B2
level, Face-to-face, My grammar lab or speaking skills books.
The results displayed help obtain characteristics of previous L2 knowledge of our
students, validate possible didactic topics and suggestions regarding our students’ L2
training experience. Just as respondents suggested, we enriched our course content with
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multicultural job and academic oriented activities as well as strengthened grammar
preparation to interconnect it with specific vocabulary.
IV.2. A course dossier for teaching competences
In line with the Bologna process priorities, our research places students at the centre of
the learning process and we will study both their linguistic background and technical
thematic preferences.
The course dossier covers the main areas of English grammar and concentrates
on aspects that learners need to advance in listening, reading, speaking and writing
skills to be able to communicate confidently. It consists of ten units which are based on
the most up-to-date topics to engage learners to study the language according to the B2
level requirements (see Table 1). A wide range of activities has been designed to engage
learners and the language to the real-world demands and to group the units into the
following type of activities:
Warm-up activities to introduce the topic and give the students a chance to
work in groups to share knowledge on the topic;
Vocabulary activities allow students to reinforce the newly acquired words
in a context;
Grammar activities to build knowledge on different grammar aspects though
fill-in gaps, writing or group activities;
Reading activities to practice the reading skill through interactive exercises;
Paraphrasing, translating activities to connect L2 structures and mother
tongue of our students;
Discussions, information analysis activities to encourage application and
improvement of transversal competences;
Summary, reflection and self-assessment activities to identify and measure
competences acquired in a particular unit.
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Table 1. Dossier contents (Polyakova and Stepins 2019). Source: authors.
Dossier
Unit contents
Unit 1. The world around us
Vocabulary: Geography and environment. Grammar: Quantifiers,
articles, uncountable and plural nouns.
Vocabulary: present and past of health technology. Grammar:
Unit 2. Health technology
comparison and order of adjectives, prepositions at, on, in. Speaking
topic: sport.
Vocabulary: transport and travel. Grammar: infinitive and
-ing,
Unit 3. On a business trip
irregular verbs.
Vocabulary: academic CV, writing clearly. Grammar: connectors,
Unit 4. Academic issues
prepositions and expressions. Speaking topic: Erasmus interview.
Vocabulary: buildings, industrial facilities, problems with
Unit 5. Buildings and facilities
installations. Grammar: present tense, past tense, present perfect.
Vocabulary: workplace. Grammar: modal verbs. Speaking topic:
Unit 6. Workplace
SWOT analysis.
Vocabulary: communication and media. Grammar: future tenses,
Unit 7. Communication
conditionals, temporal clauses.
Unit 8. Projects, creativity and
Vocabulary: projects, creativity and innovations. Grammar: active
innovations
and passive voice.
Vocabulary: Business and Industry. Grammar: Reported Speech,
Unit 9. Business and industry
Reporting Verbs and Their Patterns
Unit 10. Rules and regulations
Vocabulary: Rules and regulations. Grammar: future tenses
When linking the teaching of communicative competences in L2 with professional
needs, the starting point is to customise ten didactic units according to the needs of
future specialists. Likewise, each unit proposes a clear communicative-linguistic
approach of B2 level and connects unit contents to the list of transversal competences
chosen for the current project. In order to illustrate the various types activities designed
for the first unit, we have selected the following combination of competences and tasks:
Unit 1. The world around us (unit name chosen for the topic Environment and
geography).
Language competences, B2 level of English:
Speaking, listening, reading, writing;
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Vocabulary (geography and environment);
Grammar (quantifiers, articles, uncountable and plural nouns);
Mediation (groupwork and presentation of different types of energy).
Activities:
Discuss different types of energy in your country (page 10, activity F);
Classify energy types, indicate advantages / disadvantages in a table (page
11, activity G); write a short text giving the opinion on the classification
(page 11, activity H);
Work in groups and present different types of energy to convince others to
use this type of energy (page 11, activity I).
In this manner, we account for a course dossier prepared so that any L2 English
professor can have several pre-designed thematic activities closely related to
competence development. Similarly, the dossier format will allow the incorporation of
learning tasks based on cross-curricular projects and explore new paths of collaboration
with teachers-experts in specialised subjects.
IV.3. Assessing communicative competence development
As mentioned before, the research also includes an adapted assessment scale that will
strengthen knowledge acquisition process and ensure effective competence
achievement. Besides that, a rubric presented (see Appendix I) suggests a user-friendly
format based on competence names, descriptors and Likert scale marking that can be
used for teacher, peer and self-assessment.
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Figure 9. Self-assessment part at the end of each unit.
Another compelling challenge in the area of assessment is the development of self-
assessment skills of our learners. We recommend to implement the following self-
assessment block designed for each unit (see Figure 9) in order to engage students and
support their gradual progress.
IV.4. Task-based curricular design modelling and piloting
Teaching English as a foreign language is part of the communicative competences’
integration programme. The programme teaches students to acquire skills that assist
them to be competent in multi-professional skills. The skills acquired after completion
of the programme are diverse with the inclusion of communicative orientation of
training. Pillars of learning is achieved through the learning of English since it is a
pathway for students to acquire communicative knowledge and skills to be used in a
different profession.
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The following stage on piloting communicative language competences integration
performed in close cooperation with Professor Parvina Islamova (Tajik State University
of Commerce) includes course details as well as its goals, training setting and learning
outcomes linked to competence achievement. The future profession, in this case, is
accounting and audit. Professional accountant learning different types of speech skills
such as listening, speaking, reading, writing and mediation improve the chances of
being a qualified professional in the job market. During the program period, students
will get an opportunity to form communication skills. The component of
communication skills is the ability of students to communicate with classmates,
therefore, enhancing productive learning.
Forming and refining their communication skills is the first objective of this course.
Communication skills are the basics for students for them to be best positioned in
understanding and factually synthesizing information. Communication skills go beyond
the basics needs putting students in a good state for them to effectively develop and
justify points. Point justification abilities are made possible through mastery of speech
and writing. Practicing communication relies on the text as a basic tool. The changing
global trends put English as the leading foreign language to connect people. Refined
communication skills put a student in a good position to be accepted by most
employers. The English language through mastery of communication skills makes it
possible for students to enhance other complementing transversal skills. The English
language is, therefore, the backbone of ensuring that students acquire other transversal
competences with ease.
The lesson was conducted using unit 3 of the dossier called “On a business trip” in the
group of a specialty “Accounting and audit” 13 participants, aged around 18-19. In
words of Parvina Islamova, “We have got a theme about a business trip, and I wanted to
test my students with the use of this book, but I have known that the level of English is
higher than they have. I have found this book interesting, however my students would
have had a better experience if they were B1-B2 level. My students are so ambitious
they want to improve their knowledge, and I think it was a good idea to change our
textbook”. The practical process also proved that knowledge acquired on the English
language [partially acquired LC-01, LC-02, LC-03 and LC-04] was a factor when it
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came to carrying out of experiments and analysis of data. The interpretation of data is
essential in concluding competence achievement”.
V. CONCLUSIONS
This assessment of the importance of communicative competences in higher institutions
demonstrates the type of skills looked for by institutions as well as for clarity in their
definition. In terms of limitation, this study aims to critically assess the relevance of
communicative competence in non-language degrees to increase the employability of
students in the workplaces and delivery of the expected outcomes. We hope people that
will use this study will be able to gain an insight into the importance of the subject both
in the class and outside their classrooms.
The study results presented in this article show that the authors attached importance to
the development of a reliable study methodology. Moreover, a number of
methodological procedures for addressing university students’ thematic interests and
connecting them to curricular objectives helped adopt innovative competence-based
approaches. This allowed scholars to answer research questions in the following way:
RQ (i) the combination of procedures that ensured study cohesion was based on needs
survey, dossier and assessment suggestions as well as project piloting; RQ (ii) as
mentioned before, students’ needs detected by needs analysis are the core element of
motivation towards competence training; RQ
(iii) adapted competence assessment
merging a specific scale and self-assessment table can be used for assessing learning
results; RQ (iv) piloting results were quite promising even though some adjustments
should be done.
The main result that is obtained in the research is a course design proposal that allows to
integrate the personalised learning elements to complete successfully the training
process through the implementation of communicative competences. One of the most
remarkable practical implications of this study is that the proposed dossier allows a
structural and clear development of communicative competences and their
measurement. Thus, it helps learners to have a robust vision of his/her learning
processes. The implementation of communicative competences is usually presented in
the context of a subject but there is no concrete didactic material which embraces and
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Oksana Polyakova and Ruzana Galstyan-Sargsyan
works those competences gradually and systematically through cross-curricular
competences.
In summary, learning of L2 can be challenging, but it can also be exciting if done with a
positive attitude (Redecker et al. 2011). It entails the involvement of different people to
make sure that students can succeed in their education. These people include, but not
limited to, educators, graduates and employers.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We would like to thank Professor Parvina Islamova (PhD, Senior Lecturer at the
Department of Foreign Languages, Tajik State University of Commerce) for her
valuable help and insights on the modelling and piloting stage of the current project.
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APPENDIX I
Table 2. Adapted communicative competences assessment scale
Competence
Markers/ descriptors
Likert
Scale (1-5)
LC-01 Listening, B2
Can understand the main ideas of propositionally and
linguistically complex speech.
Can follow extended speech and complex lines of argument.
LC-02 Speaking, B2
Can give clear, systematically developed descriptions and
presentations, with appropriate highlighting of significant
points, and relevant supporting detail.
Can give clear, detailed descriptions and presentations on a
wide range of subjects.
Can communicate detailed information reliably.
Can give a clear, detailed description of how to carry out a
procedure.
Can interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity.
LC-03 Reading, B2
Can read with a large degree of independence.
Can scan quickly through long and complex texts, locating
relevant details.
Can quickly identify the content and relevance of news items,
articles and reports on a wide range of professional topics,
deciding whether closer study is worthwhile.
LC-04 Writing
Can write clear, detailed texts on a variety of subjects related to
his/her field of interest, synthesising and evaluating information
and arguments from a number of sources.
LC-05 Mediation, B2
Can convey detailed information and arguments reliably, e.g.
the significant point(s) contained in complex but well-
structured, texts within my fields of professional, academic and
personal interest.
Can encourage participation and pose questions that invite
reactions from other group members’ perspectives or ask
people to expand on their thinking and clarify their opinions.
LC-06 Pluricultural
Can describe and evaluate the viewpoints and practices of
and
plurilingual
his/her own and other social groups, showing awareness of
competence, B2
the implicit values on which judgments and prejudices are
frequently based.
Can alternate between languages in his/her plurilingual
repertoire in order to communicate specialised information and
issues on a subject in his field of interest to different
interlocutors.
LC-07
Can participate actively in an online discussion.
Online
training
Can engage in online exchanges between several participants.
competence, B2
Can recognise misunderstandings and disagreements that arise
in an online interaction and can deal with them.
Comments and feedback
Language Value 11 (1), 45-70
69
Oksana Polyakova and Ruzana Galstyan-Sargsyan
Received: 01 July 2019
Accepted: 17 December 2019
Cite this article as:
Polyakova, Oksana and Galstyan-Sargsyan, Ruzana. 2019. “Communicative competences in
non-linguistic university degrees”. Language Value 11 (1), 45-70. Jaume I University ePress:
Castelló, Spain. http://www.languagevalue.uji.es.
ISSN 1989-7103
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