DEVELOPING DOCTORAL STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC ENGLISH COMPETENCE: AN INTEGRATED APPROACH TO ORGANISING INDEPENDENT WORK

Abstract

The article addresses the issue of developing doctoral students’ academic English competence through the application of an integrated approach to the organisation of independent work. Independent work is revealed as a fundamental component of the educational process, ensuring an effective integration of linguistic and communicative skills required for conducting research in English. The study outlines the didactic foundations for organising doctoral students’ independent work based on the integration of socio-constructivist, competence-based, and genre-based approaches. The socio-constructivist approach emphasises interaction among learners; the competence-based approach focuses on the development of comprehensive linguistic and communicative skills; and the genre-based approach ensures orientation towards conventional forms of academic discourse. The article identifies key principles for the effective organisation of independent work, including analytical processing of academic texts, professional interaction, terminological relevance, and the promotion of learner autonomy. The study presents a structured model of independent work in the form of interconnected functional blocks, each addressing a specific aspect of academic training. The block of written academic activity includes an academic essay, conference abstracts, and article annotations. The analytical and interpretative block involves working with academic texts as models of scientific reasoning, including article summaries and terminological glossaries. Oral academic activity covers a research-based presentation and its public delivery. The integrated approach facilitates the gradual development of doctoral students’ academic skills, enhances critical thinking, and fosters the ability to produce and present academic texts effectively in English.