Volume 15 Issue 08, August 2025
Impact factor: 2019: 4.679 2020: 5.015 2021: 5.436, 2022: 5.242, 2023:
6.995, 2024 7.75
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THE IMPORTANCE OF TEXTS IN TEACHING FOREIGN LANGUAGES TO NON-
PHILOLOGICAL STUDENTS
Urunova Shakhlo
Doctor of philosophy in pedagogical sciences (PhD) of
Andijan state technical institute
Abstract:
This article explores the importance of using texts in teaching foreign languages to
students of non-philological fields. The author emphasizes that students must be able to
comprehend texts related to their specific field of study by understanding the general linguistic
aspects of the foreign language—particularly grammar, phonetics, and terminology. The paper
highlights the psycholinguistic nature of text processing and discusses various psychological
mechanisms that play a role in text comprehension, such as anticipation, guessing meaning, and
logical understanding.Special attention is given to the use of authentic texts in the teaching
process, which not only enhances students’ lexical and terminological skills but also boosts their
communicative and professional competence. Authentic texts reflect real-life situations and help
increase motivation, confidence, and cultural awareness among learners. The article concludes
that texts—especially authentic ones—play a crucial role in improving students’ language
proficiency and developing their professional competence within their specialization.
Keywords:
authentic texts, text comprehension, ESP (English for Specific Purposes), non-
philological students, professional competence, linguistic skills, language teaching, terminology,
psycholinguistics, motivation
In order for non-philological students to understand texts in a foreign language related to their
field, they must possess knowledge of their specialty and be familiar with the general linguistic
aspects of the foreign language, particularly grammar, phonetic norms, and terminology. This is
considered a psychological factor known as language learning ability.
Text is one of the key objects studied in psycholinguistics. Through texts, students receive
information via linguistic elements. A text is a complex, dynamic, coherent, communicative, and
both linguistic and non-linguistic phenomenon, structured in a sequential order, united by a
common meaning, and represented through signs or images that make it comprehensible [7].
As noted by N. Farnan, students’ attitude toward reading is a factor influencing their ability to
comprehend texts, and there is a clear link between their reading inclination, motivation, and
interest [3].
I.A. Zimnyaya identifies the following levels of reading comprehension:
Understanding what the text is generally about — identifying the main idea.
Understanding not only the general meaning, but the specific information conveyed.
Establishing connections between dispersed ideas in the text.
Deeply comprehending the topic and the nature of the subject being studied [6].
J. Jalolov highlights three main psychological mechanisms involved in reading comprehension:
Anticipation
— predicting the content of the text beforehand.
Guessing
— deducing the meaning of unfamiliar or poorly remembered vocabulary through
exercises.
Volume 15 Issue 08, August 2025
Impact factor: 2019: 4.679 2020: 5.015 2021: 5.436, 2022: 5.242, 2023:
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Logical understanding
— mentally breaking the text into paragraphs and logically interpreting
them [5].
In teaching English to non-philological students, special attention is given to the use of authentic
texts. Students are expected not only to grasp the main ideas but also to extract professional
information, working with terminology to develop lexical competence.
During the process of learning a foreign language, students frequently encounter terminology in
authentic texts and audio materials. Through reading and listening, they first internalize these
terms in their external speech, later forming them into inner speech and skills. The
comprehension of authentic texts may vary among students, depending not only on motivation
but also on their psychological outlook and reading goals. As noted by Yazdanpanah, a correctly
directed psychological perspective increases the likelihood of successful comprehension [4].
Authentic texts are created to serve specific social purposes. The term "authentic" was first
applied to texts used in textbooks. Such texts help improve students' communicative competence
and cultural awareness. They include real-life phrases and expressions commonly used by native
speakers [2].
Today, students and teachers are increasingly interested in working with authentic texts. These
materials are presented in the language and dialect specific to the target culture, enhancing
student motivation and building confidence through exposure to “real” texts.
Authentic materials used in textbooks include advertisements, brochures, menus, schedules,
recipes, songs, newspaper and magazine articles, films, trailers, images, documentaries,
interviews, and various broadcasts.
Ileana Ciornei and Tatiana Dina outline the following advantages of authentic texts:
1.
They provide learners with real-life vocabulary used by native speakers.
2.
When students work with such texts, their confidence increases, and they feel more
capable of communicating in real-life situations.
3.
Authentic materials often focus on informal and social interactions, aligning with
textbook methodology [2].
In non-philological higher education institutions, the use of authentic texts to develop listening
and reading skills not only enhances communicative and professional competence but also
fosters a sense of real language learning. Students feel that they are engaging in real-life tasks
and participating in situations relevant to their professional field [1].
Conclusion:
Based on the above, it can be concluded that texts play a crucial role in teaching foreign
languages to non-philological students. In particular, authentic texts are essential for improving
students’ professional competence and acquiring specialized terminology in their field.
References
1. Brown, D. H. (2007). Teaching by Principles: An Interactive Approach to Language
Pedagogy. White Plains, NY: Longman (311 p)
2. Ciornei, Ileana & Dina, Tatiana. (2015). Authentic Texts in Teaching English. Procedia -
Social and Behavioral Sciences, 180, 274–279. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.02.116
3. Farnan, N. (1996). Connecting Adolescents and Reading: Goals at the Middle Level. Journal
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of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 39(6), 436–445.
4. Yazdanpanah, K. (2007). The Effect of Background Knowledge and Reading
Comprehension Test Items on Male and Female Performance. The Reading Matrix, 7(2),
64–80.
5. Jalolov, J. (1996). Methods of Teaching Foreign Languages (Textbook for Higher
Education). Tashkent.
6. Zimnyaya, I.A. (2001). Linguopsychology of Speech Activity. Moscow: Moscow
Psychological and Social Institute; Voronezh: NPO "MODEK". 432 p. ISBN 5-89502-253-7
7. Ulanovich, O.I. (2015). Psycholinguistics: Electronic Educational-Methodical Complex for
the Discipline "Modern Foreign Languages (Translation)". Belarus. pp. 18–20.
