COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF METHODOLOGICAL APPROACHES TO FOREIGN LANGUAGE TRAINING OF FUTURE TEACHERS OF NATURAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS

Abstract

This article provides a comparative analysis of methodological approaches to foreign language training for future teachers of natural sciences and mathematics in the context of STEM-oriented education. Its main thesis is that foreign language training should not only ensure linguistic normativity, but also develop the functional competence of future teachers in using language for professional activities, including: the use of scientific and pedagogical resources, the organisation of pedagogical interaction, presentation of project and research results, and participation in academic and interdisciplinary communication. The study reveals the content and pedagogical potential of competence-based, communicative, activity-based, contextual, and integrated approaches, as well as methods such as CLIL and ESP. To compare these approaches, the article proposes criteria related to the STEM context: clarity of goals and outcomes, professional contextualisation, degree of integration of content and language integrated learning (CLIL), preference for active learning forms, development of academic literacy, focus on terminology, and conditions for effective implementation. It summarises the strengths and limitations of each method, while emphasising their complementarity. Research shows that the competence-based approach provides an appropriate basis for planning and assessing outcomes; ESP provides a basis for selecting content according to subject type and the needs of future teachers; the communicative and activity-based approach provides a technical basis for organising interaction and performing subject-related tasks; the contextualised approach acts as a mechanism for professionalisation and the transfer of skills in real teaching situations; while the integrated approach and the CLIL approach function as tools for coordinating language and subject objectives, ensuring alignment with STEM characteristics. Recommendations are made for the creation of a foreign-language professional training programme and course using integrated approaches, along with criteria for assessing their effectiveness based on the performance of future teachers.