XIV Международная студенческая научная конференция Студенческий научный форум - 2022

Independent work in the process of studying a foreign language is considered to be one of the most important aspects determining the effectiveness of learning it. Positive results depend on a cadet’s personality, his diligence, and effort to obtain and practice new knowledge. In this connection there is a question of choosing the productive means allowing cadets to study the discipline “Foreign language” during the independent work constantly developing and improving their knowledge. One of the ways of solving this problem is to use electronic books in the educational process.

According to V.P. Volynskiy’s opinion, an electronic book is a normative and autonomous means of teaching, which is created on the basis of a traditional printed book but with the increased notional and informational capabilities of illustrating and explaining language material as well as supervising educational activities of a user during self-studying. The main purpose of electronic books consists in activating the process of learning, revising, generalizing, systematizing knowledge, developing language skills, and using them in practice [1].

The optimal means being used for making electronic books is the instrumental system SunRuv, which includes the product SunRuv Book Editor and the program SunRuv Test Office. This system combines the simplicity of application and various capabilities of working with language materials.

The main objectives of using electronic books in the process of studying foreign languages by cadets is developing their communicative competence, increasing their vocabulary, improving their grammar skills, and enhancing motivation to the discipline.

Electronic books help to imitate the language environment by means of visualization, dynamic graphics, audio and video records. It allows cadets to perceive educational materials by different sense organs connected with their memory and thinking. The results of research in the sphere of psychology and pedagogy show that the efficiency of the audio perception is 15% and the visual one is 25%. Their simultaneous application in the process of education increases the effectiveness of learning the language material up to 65% [2].

In the process of creating electronic books the didactic and program projections are carried out. In the process of the didactic projection teachers thoroughly think over the content of electronic books, tasks for developing cadets’ lexical and grammar skills, and materials for reading, listening, and speaking. They should meet such requirements as authenticity, informativeness, adequacy, orientation to communication, and connection with military and professional activity of cadets. Program projection presupposes transformation of the prepared materials into a digital form. To do this it is necessary to be able to work with the computer technologies and the corresponding program support.

One of the advantages of electronic books is the opportunity to correct them and to add educational information into them in case of necessity.

Despite the fact that electronic books are created on the basis of printed books, used by cadets for studying a foreign language, they should not be a result of copying text materials into a digital program. There are the following characteristics of electronic books [3].

1. Electronic books include various multimedia elements, which include audio and video records. They are mostly used before reading texts and for developing audition skills.

Using an electronic book in the process of preparation for reading unknown materials, cadets can listen, revise, and learn the correct pronunciation of new lexical units given above the text. Texts for reading are voiced by means of audio records, allowing cadets to get acquainted with the peculiarities of native speakers’ speech, for example, intonation in sentences of different kinds. The mentioned advantages of electronic books help significantly reduce the probability of making phonetic mistakes by cadets in the process of reading.

Relevant audio and video records connected with the main theme of the lessons also provide systemic and regular training of aural perceiving of foreign language materials. Constant practice of audition skills promotes better understanding of both separate words in a context and general content of information presented by a native speaker at the next lessons in the process of watching new films or listening to new tracks. It is an important stimulus for developing this type of speech activity.

2. Electronic books include hyperlinks providing the connection between their elements and different parts (units).

When reading a new text, cadets can address to hyperlinks directing them to a glossary or vocabulary. Creating electronic books in the SanRav program, a book-maker has an opportunity to underline unknown and the most difficult lexical units, the meaning of which is not always given in typical non-specialized dictionaries. Cadets can place the mouse pointer on the marked words and see their meaning on the native language.

This opportunity of electronic books helps those cadets who do not succeed in studying foreign languages. It promotes reduction of probability to understand polysemantic words or terms incorrectly and time-saving during preparation for the English lessons. The possibility of translating sentences correctly and adequately increases, the process of reading stops being monotonic and long-lasting, the carried out work brings cadets gladness thanks to realization of their activity and successful results.

After reading texts cadets sometimes have difficulties in answering questions, discussing their content, and doing communicative exercises. In this case they can use references in questions to those extracts of the text, which contain the correct answers.

Tasks intended for training grammar material can also contain references to the corresponding grammar rules that can help solve problems in difficult situations.

3. Electronic books also include interactive and test exercises that allow cadets to immediately obtain the results of implemented tasks and independently analyze their mistakes. According to the total scores cadets can make conclusions about the quality of learning the educational material.

Thus, the electronic book is an educational means that differs from traditional printed books and provides presentation of material at the new level for account of using multimedia elements, hyperlinks, and test tasks. They promote development of such kinds of speech activity as reading, speaking, and auding. In the process of preparation for the lessons cadets have an opportunity to concentrate their efforts on the work with one means that sequentially includes all necessary information; they don’t need to spend extra time for searching necessary audio and video records, exercises, and grammar rules in different sources. The use of electronic books allows cadets to study, to practice, to train the educational material and to control the quality of mastering language skills.

References

1. Balalaeva E.Yu. Analysis of the Notion «The Electronic Book» // Herald of Mariyskiy State University. 2016. Volume 10. № 4 (24). P. 5–9.

2. Egorova Yu.N. Multimedia is a Means for Increasing the Effectiveness of Teaching at Comprehensive Schools. PhD thesis (Pedagogy). Saint Petersburg, 1997. 195 p.

3. Luchinina E.N., Rachkovskaya L.A., Nechaeva S.N. Electronic Books in the Educational Process – a New Reality // Baltic Humanitarian Journal. 2017. V. 6 № 2 (19). P. 159-161.