ESSENTIAL CHARACTERISTICS OF DEVELOPING FOREIGN LANGUAGE SPEAKING COMPETENCE IN THE CONTEXT OF THE ACTIVITY-BASED APPROACH

Abstract

The problem of foreign language teaching in the context of the activity-based approach is gaining particular relevance, since the acquisition of foreign language communicative competence ensures the successful integration of an individual into the global educational, professional, and sociocultural environment. The aim of the article is to highlight the essential characteristics of the process of forming foreign language speaking competence in the context of the activitybased approach. Research results: the article provides an overview of the key features of implementing the activity-based approach in the modern system of foreign language education. It has been established that this approach, as a promising methodology of language teaching, requires considering all components of the educational process from an activityoriented perspective, with an emphasis on learners’ active participation in communicative activities, and presupposes the integration of problem-based, project-based, and research-based learning. The main theoretical foundations of the activity-based approach are outlined, particularly the ideas of S. Rubinstein, J. Dewey, E. Collings, and W. Kilpatrick. The focus of the study is on the development of foreign language speaking competence; the psychophysiological mechanisms of speech production, based on W. Levelt’s model, are described, along with the structural elements of speaking skills. The article analyzes the factors that determine the effectiveness of forming foreign language speaking competence in the context of the activity-based approach and proposes methodological recommendations for creating favorable conditions for its development. The principles of using communicatively oriented situations, combining controlled and spontaneous activities, applying cognitive and sociocultural strategies, formative assessment, self-assessment, and peer assessment are substantiated. The conclusion is drawn that the activity-based approach creates conditions for active mastery of foreign language communication skills through the ability to comprehend and achieve coherence in the reception and production of utterances within communicatively significant speech units. It also fosters independence, initiative, intercultural interaction skills, lifelong self-development, and self-realization of the learner, which are essential prerequisites for the modernization of foreign language education.