Methodology of Increasing Motivation of Students-Representatives of Small Peoples of the North Caucasus to Learn a Foreign Language

Introduction. After the issuance of the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation N809 “On Approval of the Principles of State Policy for the Preservation and Strengthening of Traditional Russian Spiritual and Moral Values”, the study of a foreign language by representatives of small-numbered peoples of the Black Sea region and the North Caucasus has taken its niche in the educational vector of the North Caucasus Federal District, especially in the context of the “Second Foreign Language” courses being developed by linguists and teacher-methodologists under a special bilingual program. This course assumes that representatives of small peoples of the Caucasus will master either their native language or a foreign language according to the state program. Summarizing, we can say that the main educational task for teachers and organizers of the educational process is to increase students’ motivation for this direction. In the framework of this study, we pay attention to the educational task, since, in our opinion, it is the one that is least disclosed in the academic environment of bilingualism.

The existing course on “Second Foreign Language” at the North Caucasus Federal University notes that a small nation is a set of linguistic communities whose numbers are much smaller compared to the larger peoples of the region (Avars, Abazins, Ingush). As a rule, such peoples have their own language, dialect or colloquialism, as well as unique cultural traditions and customs, peculiarities of folklore and linguistic means that form their identity.

The aim of the study is to analyze the principles of functioning of motivation of students who are representatives of small peoples of the North Caucasus when studying their (second) foreign language, based on the ethno-cultural characteristics of the learners.

Materials and Methods. The main approach of the research is linguocultural. The methodological apparatus includes philosophical (general scientific) and linguistic methods. General scientific: data analysis and synthesis, descriptive method, comparative method, inductive method, comparison, analogy, deductive method, abstraction. Partial-scientific: discourse analysis, cultural scenario analysis, cross-cultural pragmatics, interlingual pragmatics, sociolinguistic questionnaire (used to identify knowledge of Russian, foreign and regional languages in “linguistic” and “non-linguistic” groups). Methods of historical science and educational theory are used as secondary ones.

In the North Caucasus Federal District one can find many outstanding bilingual scholars-representatives of smallnumbered peoples who are actively involved in the preservation of their linguistic heritage. These peoples have the full right to preserve and develop their culture and language, which emphasizes the importance of their study not only by scholars but also by students of institutions of higher education. Among the representatives of the small-numbered peoples of the Black Sea region, who make up the student groups under study at SCFU, whose language and culture are also considered in the framework of the “Second Foreign Language” course, the least covered in the methodological corpus stand out: Circassogai; Bagulali; Kaitagi; Archinians; Chamalli and Akkin [1].

Results. The Russian Federation and the Black Sea region in particular are home to a huge number of small, nearextinct peoples. In the North Caucasus alone, there are more than two hundred of them. Among them, the indigenous Caucasian nationalities, which have made a significant contribution to the history of Russia, are especially distinguished. Let us consider some of them.

I. The Circassogai (also: Circassian Armenians) are a sub-ethnic group that is part of two groups at once: Armenian and Circassian. The ethnogenesis of Cherkesogai is connected with the process of intercultural communication between Adygs (Circassians) and Western Armenians. During the development of the Zikh shamkhaldom Armenians developed close trade relations with Circassian moneylenders who called themselves “Irmala”. After the beginning of Cossack colonization of Zikh lands, local merchants began to arrange dynastic ties. Thus appeared the endoethnonym “Cherkesogai” in Armenian, and after that — the exoethnonym “Circassian Armenians” in Russian and Ukrainian. The Circassogai, who lived both in the mountainous and swampy areas near the Cossack stanzas, adopted their traditions and image, including the habit of gathering in a “circle” to implement the principles of people’s democracy [1, p. 52].

II. The Bagulals are a sub-ethnos of the southern Avars. The Bagulals have chosen the endo-ethnonym “Bagval” or “Bagvalinians” for themselves. In literal translation both ethnonyms mean “poor people”. The Baguals have historically led a rather modest, almost ascetic lifestyle. They were part of the indigenous population of the small western shamkhalts of Dagestan and spoke their own unique language belonging to the Nakh group. Historically, the Baguals practiced the Sunni current of Islam, and in modern times they share both. The traditional occupations of the sub-ethnos include irrigation developed agriculture, in particular cultivation of grain, melons and industrial crops, as well as horticulture [1, p. 58].

III. The Kaitags are a sub-ethnic group of Dargins, who call themselves “Khaidak’s”. Caucasian linguists disagree on the question of ethnogenesis, trying to establish whether the Khaidak are an independent ethnos, a subethnos or a set of linguistic communities, since genetic and socio-cultural features of the representatives of modern Kaitags do not give a picture of their historical and cultural path. Culturally, the Kaitagh people are very close to the Dargins. They speak Dargin Khaydak, usually using up to seven different dialects. The Kaytagh people’s farming has historically been less developed than that of the Baguals, but they have mastered various felt crafts, weaving and leather goods. The written language of the Kaitagh people from extant sources includes only Russian script. In their majority, the modern descendants of the Kaitags are Sunni Muslims [1, p. 62].

IV. The Archinians are an integral ethnos, rather closed in cultural and linguistic senses. The Archins belong to the Lezghin group. Historically, they have developed cattle breeding and blacksmithing. It is believed that the small homeland of the Archinians is the settlement of Kubatl, near Kalib and Khitab. Modern Archinians consider themselves orthodox, there are representatives of the mystical current — Sufis [2, p. 14].

V. The Chamalals are a set of linguistic communities belonging to the Andi people. Historically they lived on the territory of modern Dagestan, their traditional occupations were farming and spring-summer cattle breeding, while crafts were poorly developed. Even today the Chamalals continue farming and gardening, cultivating fruit trees that grow well in the Stavropol region, namely: apple, plum, apricot and pear trees. The religious life of the Chamalals is connected with the Sunni current, they are Shafiites and have been defending their cultural heritage for years. There are many active public figures and representatives of local self-government among the Chamallas [2, p. 25].

VI. The Akkinese are a Circassian sub-ethnos that historically adhered to a nomadic way of life. The fate of this subethnos was tragic: the Akkinese often had to leave their settled lands either in search of food or in an attempt to escape from the Turks. They left their small homeland and had to flee to Zikhiya. Nevertheless, the Akkians were able to achieve great success in the fields of cattle breeding and trade. Today the sub-ethnos has a high national identity, and the exploits of their ancestors are glorified in folklore. They live mainly in the Republic of Dagestan [2, p. 46].

VII. Kubachins are a sub-ethnic group of Dargins living in the area of the village of Kubachi. Historically, the Kubachins were engaged in sedentary agriculture. They had extremely developed agriculture and beekeeping. It was also customary to engage in various kinds of weaving, knitting and embroidery, shoe making, production of cloth and felting. Later, in the XIX century, the Kubachin people, who had kinship ties with the Cossacks, tended to metalworking, construction and intricate stone carving. Today Kubachin people profess Islam of different trends, as well as Orthodoxy [1, p. 105].

Understanding the unique features of the language and culture of small peoples of the Black Sea region helps university students not only to better perceive the historical image, but also creates conditions for intercultural contact, which is especially important in today’s multinational Russia.

In this vein, it is fair to emphasize that the author’s “Second Foreign Language” course covers two blocks of topics. The first block is directly related to the study of a foreign language, and the second block is related to the study of the history, culture and traditions of the peoples of the Caucasus, including those belonging to sub-ethnic groups and small nations. During our classes, students usually study different aspects of the history of the Black Sea and North Caucasus on their own, familiarizing themselves with folklore and historical sources. Studying the heritage of any nation as a whole helps to understand how its national identity was formed, how everyday life and labor life, coming into contact, created traditions. That is why we see motivation as the main educational goal of the course, designed to interest young researchers.

A natural methodological question arises: how to increase the motivation of students? Increasing the interest of learners-representatives of small peoples in learning a foreign language can be successful in the implementation of a set of interactive technologies, methods and techniques of teaching. Let us consider some of them.

1. Creation of entertaining tasks. One of the primary factors of motivation of bilingual learners is the creation of entertaining tasks that involve multiformat interaction between the teacher and students [3]. Teachers should introduce interactive teaching methods, as well as use multimedia resources and folklore. For example, showing documentary films combined with the Narts epic, their heroic feats — from myths — to the present day can be the simplest and, at the same time, the most effective way to attract the attention of young people [4].

2. Linking language and culture. Learning the language of small peoples will be more productive if it is linked to the cultural aspects of that people. Teachers can organize workshops on traditional crafts, cooking or dancing. As a result, students not only master the language, but also immerse themselves in the cultural context, which serves as a powerful stimulus for their learning [5].

3. Involvement of students in social projects. One of the effective approaches is the active involvement of students in projects related to small ethnic groups (this format of work can be carried out both together with the teacher in the classroom and in the context of various open-ended activities) [6]. Project activities can include information and research works, trips to the regions where they live, as well as meetings with native speakers who will share their experience and help to deepen their understanding of the studied material [7]. Joint work on projects and collection of folklore material contributes to the formation of team spirit and improves the assimilation of language information. As a reference material for creating projects we can offer “Stavropol Book 1853‒1917”, which includes folklore materials of small peoples of Stavropol and Kuban [8].

4. Application of critical thinking technology. The study of the languages of small peoples also needs to be supplemented with the development of critical thinking [9]. Students should be able to analyze and evaluate information about the cultures of these ethnic groups and develop interest and curiosity. Teachers can use a variety of related methods such as case studies, discussions and group activities to help students be able to find information independently [10].

5. Applying an interdisciplinary approach. In order to increase the interest of students, an interdisciplinary approach can be applied. It allows creating interdisciplinary links between “Second Foreign Language” and other subjects taught at the university, such as: “History of the North Caucasus”, “Linguistics”, “Folkloristics”, “Literary Studies”, ‘Ethnology’ and “Sociology”. This approach will help students to establish the relationship between different fields of knowledge, as well as to better understand the historical and cultural processes of the Black Sea region [11].

6. Development of special educational programs. It is important to take into account that each student has his/her individual educational needs, interests and preferences [12]. The development of special educational programs that will reflect the personal passions and motivation of each student individually can significantly increase interest in learning languages of small peoples, at least to get acquainted with folklore [13]. The study of languages of small peoples of the North Caucasus is becoming an increasingly important part of special education programs throughout the North Caucasus Federal District. Thus, “Songs of Kuban Cossacks” collected by A.D. Bigday, which include as much material on the folklore of the peoples of the Caucasus as on Cossack themes, can be suitable as material for such programs [14].

Discussion and Conclusion. Preserving historical heritage, broadening horizons and maintaining intercultural communication emphasize the importance of every method and technique used within the framework of linguistics teaching methodology. Let us consider some of them that have become part of the author’s methodology. One of the most effective tools in teaching is project technology and project method, based on an active and practiceoriented approach to learning, during which students work on a specific educational goal or specific aspects of a topic related to the languages and cultures of small peoples [15].

Project activities can take many forms, including the creation of video projects and the development of mobile applications with interactive lessons. The key point is a clear formulation of tasks and organization of work in a group. This not only fosters team spirit, but also increases the responsibility of each participant. Moreover, the results of project activities become an important contribution to the study of languages and cultures of small-numbered peoples [10]. Critical thinking development technologies

The round table is a teamwork method that allows students to freely share their thoughts and ideas on topics related to languages and cultures. In a Second Foreign Language course, discussions may cover the preservation of linguistic heritage, as well as analyze the role of small languages in today’s world and their interaction with other languages. The round table is an important method and format for the work of critical thinking technologies. Learners get a chance to analyze the opinions of their peers, share their own views and find convincing arguments to support them. These skills will be useful not only in the learning process but also in their future careers [12].

Discussion methods are an approach that allows students to solve specific problems or questions based on the information they have learned. The use of discussions in a Second Foreign Language course can be very effective, especially when the topics discussed generate a lot of interest or debate among students. For example, students can discuss the linguistic and cultural diversity of the North Caucasus and its significance in the context of modern Russian society [6].

Case technology involves the use of real-life examples that students studying a second foreign language may encounter. Students are given tasks concerning the language, culture and social aspects of life of the peoples of the Caucasus. For example, they may be presented with situations related to language preservation in the context of globalization [8].

Role-playing games provide students with an opportunity to immerse themselves in the language atmosphere, which is an important element in learning the languages of small ethnic groups. In the Second Foreign Language course, such games can recreate various scenarios related to the cultural and linguistic peculiarities of these peoples [8].

Theatricalization as a form of role-playing promotes active participation of students in learning languages of small peoples. This method includes the creation of theatrical productions in which students act out scenes from folklore or cultural histories of these ethnic groups [7].

WebQuests are a modern way of learning that combines research elements and work with Internet resources and online platforms. Students are given tasks that require them to search for information about the languages and cultures of the peoples of the North Caucasus online. For example, a web quest may include assignments related to finding videos, articles, podcasts, and other materials devoted to specific languages. The teacher can also organize a web excursion or a visit to a web museum [15].

The “six hats” technique is an interesting technique that allows learners to view the same problem from different perspectives. Each hat symbolizes a certain approach: from analytical (white hat) to emotional (red hat) [13].

The Bloom’s daisy technique involves different levels of thinking, from simple understanding to deep analysis and generation of new ideas. This technique can be effectively used in the “Second Foreign Language” course, practically in every lesson where a detailed analysis of the everyday life of this or that approach is required [13].

The analysis of language sources and folklore materials plays an important role in the study of languages of small ethnic groups. Students have a chance to get acquainted with traditional legends, songs, proverbs and sayings, which helps to gain a deeper understanding of the cultural heritage of these peoples [9].

The key factor that stimulates learners’ interest is the use of supplementary teaching materials. They help to organize the process of learning the languages of small peoples. Such aids can vary in level of complexity, which allows the student group to choose resources that match their knowledge and interests.

The use of maps and charts is an important tool that helps visualize information about the languages and cultures of small ethnic groups. Students can use maps to explore the geographical distribution of languages, their interaction and historical development. In such assignments, students are encouraged to pay attention to how geographical and historical factors influence the language situation in a particular region. This approach allows languages to be seen in a broader context, not just as individual words. The use of maps and charts facilitates the analysis of more global topics, such as “The Caucasian War of 1817‒1864” or “Cossack colonization of the North Caucasian lands” [9].

Thus, the study of methods of motivating representatives of small peoples of the North Caucasus to learn a foreign language within the framework of the course “Second Foreign Language” is an important and urgent task of modern education and emphasizes the regional specificity of research in this area. In order to arouse students’ interest in this area, it is necessary to create a dynamic learning environment where language and culture are linked, as well as to involve students in practical projects. This will help develop critical thinking, use an interdisciplinary approach, and shape a distinctive educational program. Teachers should take into account that showing respect and interest in the culture of small peoples can not only enrich the learning process, but also contribute to the harmonious coexistence of cultures in our society. Effective application of the methods and techniques we have proposed will not only increase students’ motivation, but also create conditions for their active participation in the preservation and development of languages and cultures of small peoples.