The thesis deals with the problem of professional foreign language training of prospective tourism studies specialists in Ukrainian higher educational institutions. The theoretical-methodological principles of professional foreign language training of mentioned prospective specialists have been substantiated.
The concepts of «professionally oriented foreign language training of prospective tourism studies specialists» and «professional foreign language communicative competence of prospective tourism studies specialists» have been specified. The structural components of professional foreign language communicative competence of prospective tourism studies specialists have been distinguished: foreign language communicative competence, general subject (field) competencies, subject (special) competencies. The components of foreign language communicative competence have been outlined, namely: socio-cultural, intercultural, linguistic (lexical, grammatical, phonetic), speech competencies.
The organisational-content features of professional foreign language training of prospective tourism studies specialists have been disclosed.
The structural-functional model of professional foreign language training of prospective tourism studies specialists has been developed and substantiated. This model includes: 1) target component (purpose: formation of high level of professional foreign language communicative competence of the prospective specialists; tasks: the comprehensive system of foreign language professional knowledge formation, the development of practical foreign language skills, formation of foreign language professional motivation, formation of foreign language communicative experience); 2) theoretical-methodological component (approaches: competence-based, communicative activity-based, integrated and autonomous learning; principles: systemic learning, continuity of education, activity and independence, inter-disciplinarity, professional orientation, effective interpersonal subject-subject interaction); 3) content component (subject and procedural aspects); 4) organizational component (forms of the organisation of training: practical classes, individual, pair work and independent study, foreign language practice; teaching aids: multimedia, Internet resources, course books; teaching methods: simulation, projects, presentations, lessons-tours); 5) productive component (high level of readiness of professional foreign language communicative competence); 6) corrective component (quick correction of the process of professional foreign language communicative competence formation).
The effectiveness of the structural-functional model of professional foreign language training of prospective tourism studies specialists has been proved in the course of the complex experimental research. The assessment criteria for the formation of professional foreign language communicative competence of the mentioned specialists have been substantiated according to the 100-point scale based on the developed descriptors of the investigated competence formation for productive (oral speech, writing) and receptive (reading, listening) types of speech activity. The five-level scale for assessment of the formation of professional foreign language communicative competence (advanced, upper intermediate, intermediate, elementary, insufficient) with the corresponding quantitative indicators of levels has been proposed and substantiated.
The practical value of the research results consists in the development of educational-methodical complex on professional foreign language training of prospective tourism studies specialists, in particular: the syllabuses of the elective academic discipline «Intercultural Professional Foreign Language Communication», the course book «English for Students of Tourism», the syllabuses of the academic discipline «Foreign Language for Professional Purposes»; the implementation of structural-functional model of professional foreign language training of prospective tourism studies specialists in the educational process; the improvement of the syllabuses of the academic discipline «Foreign Language» (levels A2, B1, B2); the development and justification of criteria for the evaluation of the effectiveness of professional foreign language training of prospective tourism studies specialists. The materials of the thesis can be used by researchers, postgraduate students, teachers of higher educational institutions in order to improve professional foreign language training of prospective tourism studies specialists.
