DEVELOPING SOCIO-CULTURAL COMPETENCE IN PHILOLOGY MAJORS THROUGH POETRY READING: APPROACHES AND PRINCIPLES

Abstract

Background: The need to develop students’ socio-cultural competence is grounded in the socio-cultural framework which places a meaningful emphasis on interpersonal interaction as a significant motivating force of human learning and development. In this theoretical framework, ‘approaches’ and ‘principles’ of teaching foreign languages (FL) are viewed as the two essential methodology concepts affecting both FL learning and building socio-cultural competence. In a regular classroom, the suggestions to enhance socio-cultural competence through reading poetry are voiced. Socio-cultural implications for classroom activities include using specific approaches and principles which help identify a fundamental relationship between language and culture. Teaching a FL through poetry enables students to perceive the nature of the relationship between language and culture.

Purpose: The article aims at selecting approaches to developing students’ socio-cultural competence in reading through poetry works. It presents the definitions, determines principles as well as provides analysis of the approaches in terms of their implementation in FL training. Results: The role played by culture and language in human development is an essential aspect of this research. The findings of the study prove that socio-cultural competence in reading emphasizes the interdependence of social and individual processes in the construction of FL knowledge. As a result of the research, this article shows that the theoretical basis is formed by the following approaches and principles in developing students’ socio-cultural competence in reading through poetry works: competency building, hermeneutic, communicative and country-study approaches. The article gives detailed analysis of each approach. The approaches and principles mentioned provide developing socio-linguistic competence in reading and can be integrated in the process of studying. Discussion: Authentic English poetry provides invaluable information about the life of British society. However, before using authentic poems in the classroom, they should be carefully selected against certain criteria of building socio-cultural competence in reading through poetry as well as pedagogical conditions which provide developing socio-cultural competence. Attention should be paid to motivate students’ interest towards the target culture enabling them to be culturally adequate speakers of English