Enhancing future teachers’ communicative competence by integrating modern technologies into ‘English for Academic Purposes’ Courses

Purpose. This paper addresses the challenges of modern Ukrainian education in relation to the teaching of English for Academic Purposes, which focuses on developing language skills for future professional activities. This paper presents the results of a study investigating the pros and cons of using modern technologies to enhance the professional communicative competence of future teachers in higher education establishments in Ukraine. The article explores ways to improve the English-speaking communicative competence of future teachers using modern technologies. Methodology. To achieve our goal, we set out some objectives and carried out the research step by step. Firstly, we reviewed the scientific literature on the subject. Then, using the method of expert evaluation, we determined the key modern technologies for improving the English-speaking communicative competence of future teachers. Next, we conducted a pedagogical experiment to identify the most significant modern technologies for developing the English-speaking communication skills of students at a pedagogical university. Results. The results showed that the most effective methods were mobile-assisted learning (MAL), ChatGPT, and generative artificial intelligence (AI), and automated writing evaluation (AWE). Each of these methods influences language skills differently in undergraduates. Writing and reading were the most influenced. Listening and speaking skills improved less after the pedagogical experiment. Conclusions. The study conducted allows us to conclude that the aforementioned modern technologies could enhance undergraduates’ communicative competence in the English language while studying at educational institutions. They are a powerful means of developing not only language skills, but also critical thinking, academic writing, and argumentation. However, the results also show that there are some disadvantages and ethical complications to using modern technologies, including plagiarism, authorship, and transparency issues. Therefore, lecturers’ supervision is necessary, and teachers should use modern technologies properly.