CRITERION-REFERENCED TECHNOLOGY AS A DIDACTIC MEANS OF INDIVIDUALIZATION OF FOREIGN LEXIS TEACHING IN A MIXED-ABILITY GROUP

Аннотация

Purpose and methods. Starting with the premise that learning individualization and students’ autonomy are the key demands for the current system of mass higher education, the study analyses how an individual approach can be applied to foreign lexis teaching in a mixed-ability group by means of criterion-referenced testing technology. The paper reports the results of a pedagogical experiment for implementation of criterion-referenced tests aimed at acquisition and mastering vocabulary in students of different language competence le-vels. The study was held at the Foreign Languages Department of Samara State Technical University. The following methods served as a basis of the experiment: observation, survey, test method and interviewing. A test bank containing 80 tests ran-ging from A1 to B1 difficulty levels was devised for promoting students’ autonomy, self-study and self-control while studying the vocabulary. Results. It was found that graded criterion-referenced tests based on pre-studied texts can act as a didactic tool for individualization of foreign lexis teaching in groups with mixed language competence. The findings presented at a number of practical scientific conferences showed: 1. The increase of communicative competence development in the experimental and control groups, as well as between the control groups. 2. The increase in regularity of homework done by students. 3. The decrease (up to 75%) in the time spent by lecturers on checking students’ individual (home) assignments.