Challenges that the ukrainian-speaking students face while learning english

Abstract

The article deals with the principal difficulties, faced by Ukrainian-speaking students in the process of learning English as a foreign language. The research considers specifically grammar problems, caused by some crucial differences between English and Ukrainian. The authors analyze both main and auxiliary parts of speech and argue the reasons of problems and challenges, faced by the students while learning English. The article substantiates that one of the most important aspects, which should be considered in the process of a foreign language learning, particularly English, includes comparison of its principal categories with those, which are specific for the students’ native language, namely Ukrainian. Among the main problems of the English language learning, Ukrainian students specify the following groups, i.e. phonetics, grammar, and stylistics. The research suggests that it is expedient to use the cognitive-communicative approach to study grammar. In the article, it is stressed that to get an integral idea about common and different features of the grammar of English and Ukrainian, it is reasonable to compare such important aspect as morphology, i.e. morphological peculiarities of both languages. To compare and analyze the morphology of English and Ukrainian, it is necessary to consider specific features of the parts of speech, specifically noun, adjective, verb and auxiliary parts of speech. The factors, which secure success in mastering foreign languages, are determined in the article; primarily they include high motivation of students, ability to organize a consistent independent work with language material, involving all available options and sources, persistence and a positive, optimistic approach, as well as awareness of personal responsibility for the result. In the research it is stressed that the current progress of technologies, including teaching ones, can greatly simplify mastering any foreign language and the issue needs the further study.