Application of integrated contextual learning for developing students` terminological competence

Abstract

The growing contemporary global economic and cultural integration demands the training of highly skilled professionals with extensive proficiency in a subject-specific foreign language across various specialized fields. The significant transformation of the Kazakhstani education system within the context of multilingualism and digitalization revealed the insufficient effectiveness of teaching non-language subjects in English, a lack of a general unified system of teaching foreign language terminology, a shortage of quality textbooks, and a deficit in the quality of specialist training. The issue of developing a specialized foreign subject-content terminological competence as a secondary linguistic identity has become particularly significant. This study proposes a comprehensive integrated contextual learning approach that incorporates all essential dimensions of efficient terminology instruction, including structural coherence, innovative methods, and relevance to authentic contexts. The study explored the usage and effectiveness of integrated contextual learning in terminology teaching to enhance students’ trilingual professional terminological competence in English, Kazakh, and Russian. Literature review relies on a conceptual framework and terminological analysis within language acquisition training and its approaches. Employing a mixed-methods design, the research combines a quantitative survey and qualitative interviews to investigate learners’ experiences at different educational stages. Results confirm that contextualized, logically structured tasks supported by digital tools and interactive strategies, such as role-playing and group projects, significantly enhance the acquisition of interdisciplinary terminology in English. This approach, with cross-linguistic implementation, is suggested for a wide range of international learning settings beyond the Kazakhstani educational system.