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DOI 10.14746/snp2022.22.01
Scripta Neophilologica Posnaniensia. Volume XXII, pages: 7-23
Faculty of Neophilology, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, 2022
DOI 10.14746/snp2022.22.01

DEVELOPMENT OF STUDENTS'
COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE IN 'ENGLISH
FOR BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT' AND
'ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE'.
AND ENGLISH TRANSLATOR' IN THE SPACE OF A
PRACTICAL UNIVERSITY

MARLENA IWONA BIELAK

Abstract: The paper is devoted to the problem of shaping communicative competence at

the level of higher education neoophilological studies with regard to the expectations of
the socio-economic environment. Therefore, the publication outlines the evolution of the
idea of communicative competence on the basis of selected theories and describes the
tendency of moving away from the Humboldtian model of university towards an approach
that takes into consideration the requirements of the socio-economic environment in order
to reflect them in study programmes. In relation to the above concept, the paper also
demonstrates factors determining the development of students' communicative
competence in the space of a practical profile university. The research presents an analysis
of the development of communicative competence of the student of first-cycle studies
conducted at a practical profile university, specialization: 'The English language in
business and management' and 'Instructor and translator of the English language'.

Key words: communicative competence, education for the needs of the job market and
society, practical profile universities, communicative competence of the student of a
practi- cal profile university

Keywords: communicative competence, education for the labour market and society,
practical universities, communicative competence of students at practical universities

1. Introduction

The concept of communicative competence has undergone a continuous

evolution. It was originally used in relation to the mother tongue, but it has also
had a huge impact on glottodidactic theories focusing on non-native language
teaching and learning. It has been interpreted in many ways by many
researchers who use different parameters to characterise it. They also perceive
in it
8 Marlena Iwona Bielak

different components (after: Janowska 2015). In this article, the problem of

communicative competence formation will be considered largely in relation to
the demands of the socio-economic environment.

2. The concept of communicative competence

The term 'communicative competence' was first used by Hy- mes (1966) as a
reaction to Chomsky's (1965) idea of linguistic competence defined as an innate
ability. Linguistic competence included the components outlined below.

– Creativity = the ability to create an infinite set of sentences from a finite set of
linguistic elements and the ability to create new sentences consistent with situations
new to the speaker.
– Grammaticality = Formal correctness (resulting from knowledge of the syntactic
rules of language) and semantic correctness (resulting from knowledge of lexis and
lexicotactic rules, which speak to the ability to link words together), as revealed in
the process of sentence construction.
– Acceptability = the ability of a native speaker to recognise an utterance as correct,
i.e. conforming to the applicable norm.
– Interioration = the process of unconscious mastery of the native language
(Grabias 1997: 34).

With reference to the above, it can therefore be concluded that Chomsky's

(1964) linguistic compe- tition ignored the social and cultural elements of
language.
In contrast to Chomsky (1964), Hymes (1966) defines communicative
competence as knowledge of linguistic structures resulting from the application
of rules (i.e. it is knowledge of the morphology, phonology and syntax of a
given language), accompanied by knowledge of the socio-cultural aspects of
language and the ability to adapt linguistic use to particular social contexts. In
other words, communicative competence is not only the knowledge of linguistic
rules, but also the rules of language use in particular situations characteristic of
a given socio-cultural community (see Urbaniak 2016, Bielak 2018). In a
broader sense, the aforementioned socio-cultural rules can be interpreted as
knowledge that determines 'when, how and in relation to whom the use of the
above forms is appropriate' (Paulston 1992: 98). Importantly, Hymes (1966,
1972) interprets communicative competence not only as an extension of
Chomsky's linguistic competence with sociocultural elements, but also sees it as
an acquired skill at the time of social interaction - it is therefore not an innate
skill (see Siek-Pis- kozub 2012, Janowska 2015).
 Development of the student's communicative 9
competence
The concept of communicative competence was also a key concept in the
work of Canale and Swain (1980) and Canale (1983), who used it to develop a
model of non-native language teaching representing a communicative approach.
Canale and Swain (1980) see communicative competence as a construct
consisting of elements such as: a. grammatical competence - knowledge of
grammatical rules and the ability to apply lexical items, b. sociolinguistic
competence - the ability to use language in a given socio-cultural context, c.
discursive competence - the ability to use language according to the rules of
discourse, d. stra- tegic competence - the ability to use communicative strategies
(see Siek-Piskozub 2018, Janowska 2015, Bielak 2018).
The concept of communicative competence has been redefined several times
in the following years, with authors emphasising different elements of language
used in practice. For example, Moirand's (1982) model of communicative
competence (distinguishing between linguistic, discursive, referential and
sociocul- tural components) places a stronger emphasis on the skills of the
language user than was the case in Canale and Swain's (1980) theory (see
Janowska 2015). A strong emphasis on skills is also found in Savignon's (1972,
1983) approach. Importantly, Savignon (1972, 1983) also draws attention to the
definition of communicative competence by context and to its relativity and
dynamism. The issue of the dynamic nature of communicative competence is
also analysed by Canale and Swain (1980), Shekan (1998), Bachman and
Palmer (1996), among others (see Bagarić and Djigunović 2007, Janowska
2015, Bielak 2018). The term communicative competence itself is also subject
to modifications. For example, Tay- lor (1988) uses the term 'communicative
proficiency', while Bachman (1990) refers to 'language ability', which consists
of language competence and strategic competence. An important role in the
latter model is attributed to strategic competence, which is interpreted as the
reasoning ability that enables the negotiation of meaning in particular situations.
It influences communication, but is not precisely correlated with language use
itself. It also influences the knowledge possessed by the language user (see
Janowska 2015). The elements of communicative ability are included in the
table included in Table 1.
Later, Bachman and Palmer (1996) modified the above-mentioned theory to
create a model of linguistic communicative ability, which can be applied both in
teaching and assessment and in a variety of language use contexts. The term
language knowledge emerges to replace linguistic competence. Strategic
competence is presented as metacognitive strategies. An emotional factor
(affective factor) is introduced and thematic knowledge instead of general
knowledge. Functional competence is introduced instead of illocutionary
competence (see Seretny 2011, Janowska 2015).
10 Marlena Iwona Bielak

• knowledge of vocabulary
Grammatical • knowledge of morphology
ORGANISATIONAL competence • knowledge of syntax
COMPETENCE • knowledge of phonology and
graphology
LINGUISTIC COMPETENCE

Textual competence • consistency of vocabulary

• knowledge of morphology
• conceptual function
Illocutionary • handling function
competence • heuristic function
• imaginal function
PRAGMATIC
COMPETENCE • sensitivity to dialects and varieties
• sensitivity to register differences
Sociolinguistic
• sensitivity to idiomatics
competence
• ability to interpret cultural
references and stylistic figures
COMPETENCE

PLANNING
STRATEGIC

EXECUTION
EVALUATION

Table 1: Elements of Bachman's (1990) communication ability,

(after Janowska 2015: 46)

Despite the numerous differences regarding the type and components of

communicative competence, in non-native language didactics knowledge and
skills are considered the two basic components. Until the concept of
communicative competence is applied to non-native language teaching, language
teaching focuses on knowledge. In the communicative approach, the primary
goal becomes the development of the ability to communicate in a non-native
language in relation to the socio-cultural context (see Urbaniak 2019, Janow-
ska 2015, Widdowson 1992). The pragmatic aspect dominates: "(...) we teach
communication by adapting utterances to the communicative situation (status of
the speakers, age, place of conversation, channel, etc.), according to the
communicative intention (apologising, giving information, thanking)"
(Janowska 2015).
The rapid development of communication technologies, the expanding
territory of the European Union, the increasing mobility of the population and
intensified international co-operation make it necessary to modify the approach
to non-native language teaching in order to function in a multilingual and
multicultural space. For these reasons the Common European framework of
reference for languages: Learning, teaching, assessment is developed in 2001 .1

1
In 2003, the document was translated into Polish as the Common European Framework of Reference
for Languages: learning, teaching, assessment (CEF).
 Development of the student's communicative 11
competence
(CEFR), which presents a new approach to non-native language teaching and
thus to a key concept in glottodidactics - communicative competence (see
Janowska 2015). The goal of non-native language didactics becomes the
development of multilingual and multicultural competence:

The concept of plurilingualism indicates that an individual's successive linguistic and

cultural experiences, ranging from the language of the home and the wider
community to the languages of other nations (whether taught at school or learnt in
direct contact), are not accumulated in the form of separate modules, but comprise a
single holistic communicative competence in which all these experiences and
languages permeate and influence each other (CEF 2003: 16).

It is therefore a concept that does not refer to the idea of

bilingualism/multilingualism per se (i.e. the mastery of two/pair languages by
an individual), but focuses on the role that language skills play in human
development in the broadest sense (personal, cultural and social) (after
Martyniuk 2021).
Moreover, the CEF (2001) promotes an action-oriented (za- daniowe)
approach (see Janowska 2015, Miodunka 2013), according to which language use
is an action of a linguistic and social nature. Multilingual and multicultural
competence is therefore combined with the performance of not only linguistic, but
also social tasks (after Janowska 2015). It is defined as: "(...) the totality of a person's
declarative knowledge, skills and abilities, and character traits, all of which determine
the way in which a person acts" (after:. EEOC 2003: 20). It includes general
competence and linguistic communicative competence (Table 2).
Puppel's (2004) communicative model, in which transcommunicators with
communicative competence shaped by biological, social and cultural factors and
including the use of both linguistic communicative competence (i.e. verbal
resources) and non-linguistic communicative competence (i.e. non-verbal and
para-linguistic resources) are central to the idea of multilingualism and
multiculturalism.
- e.g. loudness, rate of speech and intonation) under conditions typical of a
given cultural-linguistic-communicative community. The above conditions are:

a. the communicative tendencies of linguistic communities, in particular

the awareness of the existence of standard and non-standard varieties of
language and the awareness of belonging to one of them,
b. the ability to apply appropriate types of behaviour (formal, less formal,
informal) to appropriate situations. The above condition reflects the
pragmatic principles of discourse formulated by Grice (1975),
c. unique characteristics of the transcommunicator such as age, intellect,
health, emotional state, education, gender (after Puppel 2004: 6-8).
12 Marlena Iwona Bielak

Use of language resources: Linguistic 1. discursive

general scope appropriatene • Flexibility in interaction
1. lexical ss • Taking the floor
• Range of vocabulary • Developing the theme
• Lexical correctness • Coherence of speech
2. grammatical (logical and
• Grammatical correctness grammatical)
3. semantic 2. functional
4. phonological • Precision of speech
• Phonological correctness • Fluency of speech
5. orthographic
6. orthoepic
• Spelling correctness

SOCIO-
LINGUISTIC PRAGMATIC
LINGUISTIC

C O M M U N I C A T I ON
COMPETENCES

G E N ERAL

SAVOIR-FAIRE SAVOIR SAVOIR-ETRE SAVOIR-

Declarative Procedural Personality -APPRENDRE
knowledge knowledge determinants Personality determinants

• General • Practical Attitudes, • Linguistic

knowledge skills: motivation, sensitivity
• Sociocultural social, life, value system, and communication
knowledge work, views, • General
• Intercultural leisure non-cognitive sensitivity
sensitivity activities styles, personality and phonetic
• Intercultural traits correctness
skills • Learning
techniques
• Heuristic
skills

Table 2: General competence and communicative language competence according to the EQF
(after: CEF 2003: 94-114, Janowska 2011)
 Development of the student's communicative 13
competence
The development of the above type of communicative competence can be
intensified as the transcommunicator crosses cultural and
-linguistic-communicative competence. A bilingual or multilingual competence
including cultural competence is then developed. The latter includes the culture
of the native language to which components of non-native language culture are
added. In other words, there is a process of extending cultural competence,
which largely influences the development of the communicative competence of
the transcommunicator, due to the strong cultural conditioning of
communication (after Puppel 2007a, Puppel 2007b) - in accordance with Hall's
(1959: 186) statement: "culture is communication and communication is
culture". As a result of the above-mentioned assumptions, the teaching and
learning of a non-native language should be based on the development of
communicative skills, among which non-native language is one of several
communicative tools. In addition, the development of bilingual or multilingual
competence should take place in a translingual contact perspective based on the
concept of equality of languages and cultures (after Puppel: 2007a, Puppel
2007b, see Bielak 2020, Bielak 2014, Bielak 2011a, 2011b). Importantly, the
transcommunicator's crossing of linguistic-cultural-communicative boundaries
enabling the use of the trans perspective can be intensified through the use of
hybrid modality (combining vocal-auditory modality and visual-tactile modality
with the simultaneous use of multimedia) (after: Puppel 2011: 110).
In conclusion, the development of communicative competence of the
philology student should be based on the training of communicative skills in
relation to the development of verbal, non-verbal and para-linguistic resources
and on the idea of broadening cultural competence. It should also be adapted to
current developmental trends in higher education.

3. Current development trends in higher education

In both Western Europe and Poland, one can observe trends indicating a shift
away from the traditional model of higher education based on the ideas of an
elite, Humboldtian academy (in which the economy is not the focal point). The
direction of change seems to be determined by a paradigm that places a strong
emphasis on the role of the socio-economic environment (i.e. external
stakeholders) in the higher education institution (see Kwiek 2012, Kwiek 2017).
In this paradigm, the place of academic knowledge is at the centre of the
modern socio-economic space (see Bonaccorsi and Doraio 2007, Kwiek 2017).
According to Martin and Etzkowitz (2000: 7), the growing role of external
stakeholders of universities described above stems from the conviction "(...) that
in exchange for public funding, academics and universities must take into
account the needs of functional users in the economy and society" (after Kwiek
2017: 14). In other words,
14 Marlena Iwona Bielak

higher education systems, which are absorbing more and more public resources,
should be obliged to open up to the needs of the external environment (after
Kwiek 2017: 14).
The above-described concept of educating for the needs of the economy
and society is the credo of vocational higher education institutions running
faculties with a practical profile. An exemplary description of the principles of
practical education is presented below (after Szyja and Maciejewski 2020).

Practical education at tertiary level is intended to respond to the labour market's demand
for skilled workers. Graduates of f a c u l t i e s with a practical education profile
should be equipped with knowledge, skills and attitudes that are useful on the labour
market. The experience they gain during their studies is intended to help them later
on to find a profession in line with their qualifications and their own interests and
personal predispositions. The aim of work placements is not only to verify one's own
skills, but also to shape one's career path more accurately through actual contact
with professional work. The study programme should therefore include the
acquisition of theoretical and practical knowledge and the development of personal
qualities and social competences. At the same time, it should be remembered that a
university graduate should have advanced knowledge in the area in which he/she is
studying. This forces the authors of educational programmes to skilfully select the
hours of classes of theoretical and practical character so as to impart the necessary
knowledge and shape the skills of its use (Szyja and Maciejewski 2020).

The presented essence of vocational education represents the general canvass

of the development of the student's communicative competence in the space of a
practical university. However, this process is influenced by more specific
determinants, which will be presented below.

4. Determinants
development of the student's communicative
competence in the practical university space

The development of a student's communicative competence in the space of a

practice-oriented university is determined by a number of factors. These
primarily include the following legal regulations:

1. Act of 20 July 2018. Law on higher education and science

In the case of the aforementioned Act, an important role is played by Article

64, point 2, paragraph 1, which defines a practical profile of study as one in
which more than half of the ECTS credits are allocated to courses that develop
practical skills.
 Development of the student's communicative 15
competence
With regard to the philology major with a practical profile, it is important
to assume that:

[t]he PNJA courses aim to develop students' linguistic competence within the
language skills (speaking, writing, reading, listening) as well as the language
subsystems (grammar, lexis, pronunciation). These competences derive directly from
the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, which contains
general guidelines for language education that are not linked to the practical profile
of the studies. The use of the adjective "practical" in the case of practical foreign
language learning stems from the academic tradition in neophilology faculties and
does not automatically imply that these are classes that develop practical skills,
providing opportunities for students to perform activities characteristic of the
professions in conditions appropriate to them. Classes in practical foreign language
learning thus ensure the acquisition of key competences, which are the basis for
further building of professional skills of a translator or an employee of various
business sectors (Report of the Evaluation Team of the Polish Accreditation
Committee. Name of the field of study: philology. Name and location of the
university conducting the course: Collegium Witelona State University in Legnica.
Date of the visit: 22-23.02.2022 r. Warsaw, 2022)

Also key is Article 67(5) stating that "[t]he programme of studies with a
practical profile shall provide for work placements of at least:
1) 6 months - in the case of first-cycle studies and uniform master's degree
studies; 2) 3 months - in the case of second-cycle studies". As Drogosz-
Zabłocka (2002) points out, internships are a key element in shaping the
practical skills required for future professional work. She also emphasises
that it is above all practical skills that make it easier for graduates to take up
employment.

2. Regulation of the Minister of Science and Higher Education of 27 September

2018 on studies pursuant to Article 81 of the Act of 20 July 2018. Law on
Higher Education and Science (Dz. U. pos. 1668).

The development of the student's competences in studies with a practical

profile is particularly determined by the assumptions set out in paragraph 6 of
the aforementioned regulation: "Classes shaping practical skills provided for in
the curriculum of studies with a practical profile shall be conducted:

1) under conditions specific to their field of professional activity;

2) in a way that allows students to perform practical activities".

3. Polish Qualifications Framework (PRK)

16 Marlena Iwona Bielak

4. Characteristics of the second level of level 6 of the PRK typical of

qualifications obtained within higher education after obtaining a full
qualification at level 4. A special role is played by the learning effect
expressed by code P6S_WG - "Knowledge: knows and understands the
practical applications of knowledge in professional activities related to the
field of study".

The communicative competence of a student of a practical profile is also

shaped by the management of the communicative space by the internal in- teres
of the university, which include the university authorities, administration,
lecturers and students. This management is conditioned by the network of
interdependencies existing between transcommunicators within a given group
and by the network of interdependencies and co-relations between
transcommunicators from different groups.
Another factor that plays a role in shaping the student's communicative
competence in the space of a practical university is the interdependencies
existing in the university's external environment. Cooperation with employers
from the local environment plays a particularly important role. According to
Article 15. paragraph 1 of the Act of 20 July 2018. Law on Higher Education
and Science, education for the needs of the socio-economic environment is part
of the de- finition of vocational universities. Therefore, it can be assumed that
the intensity of contacts with diverse external stakeholders cooperating with the
faculty determines the quality of practical skills formation. The expected
cooperation with employers includes:

d. defining the needs in relation to which the study programme is

created/modified,
e. acceptance of the learning outcomes of the course included in the study
programme,
f. acceptance of the entire study programme,
g. cooperation during the implementation of the training process, both in
relation to apprenticeships and stage work.
Another factor strongly determining the development of communicative
competence of a student of a practical profile is the above-mentioned study
programme reflecting the ministerial regulations. It should be emphasised that it
is influenced by both external and internal stakeholders - with particular
emphasis on students.
To sum up, the development of communicative competence of a student of a
practical profile is subject to conditions created by a complicated network of
legal-socio-economic interdependencies. As a consequence, study programmes
shaping the above-mentioned communicative competence of students should
provide a canvass enabling the realisation of legal regulations and the needs of
the socio-economic environment included in them.
 Development of the student's communicative 17
competence
5. Study

The qualitative study presented below is a preliminary one, which is devoted

to the development of communicative competences of students of first-cycle
studies conducted at the university with a practical profile in the specialisations
English language in business and management and English language teacher
and translator. Due to the fact that p r a c t i c a l - p r o f i l e s t u d i e s are, in
principle, a response to the needs of the socio-economic environment, the study
referred to tasks oriented towards professional preparation (shaping practical
skills). The aim of the study was to find answers to the questions:

1. How is the development of communicative competence of students of first-

cycle practical studies with a specialisation in English as a Foreign
Language in business and management and English as a Foreign Language
teacher and interpreter implemented in relation to tasks strictly oriented
towards professional preparation (i.e. shaping practical skills)?
2. Do the strictly vocational preparation-oriented tasks (i.e. shaping practical
skills) in the specialities analysed allow for the training of communication
skills with regard to the development of verbal, non-verbal and para-
linguistic resources and the idea of broadening cultural competence?

The study took the form of an analysis of students' credit and diploma theses
and the study programme for the specialisations English language teacher and
translator and English language in business and management at a selected
practical university.

6. Analysis of the survey

The development of students' communicative competences in the analysed

field of study is strictly conditioned by the labour market demand - internal
stakeholders identify their own needs regarding the knowledge, skills and social
competences of philology students through questionnaire surveys. The results of
the survey translate into the form of educational results and the selection of
subjects and their placement in the study programme (it is important to adapt
them to the internship terms). The final version of the learning outcomes and the
study programme (which addresses the communicative competence of the
philology student) is also subject to the approval of external stakeholders. The
process of developing the student's communicative competence is also
influenced by cooperation with employers with regard to stage work and
internships.
18 Marlena Iwona Bielak

Extension of communication competence by means of assignments tailored

to the strict needs of specific employers takes place in the subject 'Image
Communication'. On the basis of written linguistic resources and elements of
non-verbal resources, students prepare advertisements in the form of posters,
brochures, leaflets or business cards in Polish and translate them into English.
The above-mentioned assignments also include commercial videos in Polish and
English, the preparation of which involves the development of oral (statements),
written (subtitles), non-verbal (body language of the person in the video) and
para-linguistic resources (volume, rate of speech and intonation of the statement
presented in the video). These tasks also involve hybrid modality
- advertisements promoting a particular company are placed on FB pages at a
later stage.
The development of communicative competence encompassing oral, written,
non-verbal and para-linguistic resources in the making of videos for external
stakeholders also takes place in the subject 'English Phonetics'. Students create
educational videos on English pronunciation for the needs of secondary schools.
The improvement of written language resources strictly conditioned by the
needs of specific external stakeholders is also implemented in the subject
'Polish-English and English-English Translation'.
-polish'. Students carry out translations at the request of individual employers.
This work can be individual or group work.
The process of completing credit work for external stakeholders is evidenced
by appropriate documentation. Students are responsible for providing formal
letters with the employer's consent to carry out such work and confirming that
the work has been passed. The drafting of such letters develops communicative
competence in relation to formal language resources in the field of
administrative re- istruction, the use of which in formal certificates (as practice
shows) is not an easy matter for students.
The increase in communicative competence determined by cooperation with
external inter- sessionals also takes place within the framework of internships,
which last 960 hours (24 weeks) in accordance with ministerial requirements. In
the English language teacher and translator specialisations, students complete
'translators' internships' 1 and 2 (in translation agencies or
institutions/companies with international contacts and which enable them to
develop their translating competences) and 'methodological internships' 1 and 2
(in private language schools or institutions offering language courses). In the
English for Business and Management specialisation, the apprenticeships are
'Practical training in public institutions, organisations and companies' 1A and
1B and 2A and 2B. They are carried out in public institutions, organisations
and companies with contact with the public and the private sector.
 Development of the student's communicative 19
competence
multicultural ties. Each of the above-mentioned internships is carried out for
240 hours.
The curricular content of the described types of placements enables the
development of all elements of communicative competence (verbal, non-verbal
and para-linguistic resources) in the context of functioning in the institutional
space typical of a given specialisation. The progression of communicative
resources applies to both English and Polish. This enables the development of
general communication skills, among which English is one of the modes of
communication and is perceived on a par with Polish.
The needs of external stakeholders also condition the expansion of
communication com- petence in the preparation of the practical parts of the
diploma thesis carried out during the final stage of the internship. An example is
a brochure advertising a non-public school made in Polish and English. It
contains a description of the school enriched with photographs. In this case, an
important aspect was the choice of register (the language had to be friendly to
the recipient and encourage him or her to use the offer) and achieving image
comfort.
It should be emphasised that all diploma theses in the field of study under
analysis - not only those completed for the needs of external stakeholders - are
applied, which determines their practical dimension (i.e. preparation in
accordance with labour market demands). Diploma theses with an applied
dimension may be prepared not only individually, but also in groups (group size
is a maximum of three persons). This allows for the progression of social skills
determining the development of communicative competence.
Applied theses consist of three main parts. The theoretical part contains the
conceptual background necessary for the preparation of the practical and
analytical part. The practical part is typically applied and may, for example, take
the form of a glossary, a text translation, a guide, a handbook (e.g. on non-
verbal communication), the development of a lesson cycle or a series of
teaching aids. The analytical part presents an analysis of the practical part in
relation to the issues presented in the theoretical part and conclusions.
The theoretical and analytical parts, which must be written in academic
language, develop the highest written linguistic resources, while the practical
part develops a register corresponding to the type of task to be performed. A
different type of language will occur in the translation of a novella and another
in the non-verbal communication guide, which requires the use of an advanced
form of written communication and elements of non-verbal communication,
such as the use of photography.
Increasing linguistic and non-linguistic resources by working on the needs of
individual external stakeholders plays an important role in the course under
study, but students' communicative competence is also developed in subjects
whose introduction
20 Marlena Iwona Bielak

to the study programme is the result of demand from external stakeholders as

presented in the surveys. For example, the translation block of classes includes
exercises in which Polish translations are made.
-English and English-Polish, both oral and written. In the case of the latter,
written linguistic resources are developed covering very diverse language areas
and registers. Interpreting, on the other hand, develops both verbal and non-
verbal communication and para-linguistic skills. Polish-English and English-
Polish translation (both written and oral) is also an example of students' crossing
cultural-linguistic-communicative boundaries on the Polish-English axis, which
enables (thanks to the cultural background of the translated texts) the expansion
of cultural competence in the trans perspective and ultimately leads to the
development of students' communicative competence. The above-mentioned
process is intensified by conducting classes in a modern language laboratory
enabling the use of hybrid mobility.
The effectiveness of the development of communicative competence in
practical classes is ensured by teaching forms that guarantee student activity.
Vocational preparation-oriented subjects are conducted in the form of exercises
in which students communicate in various ways. They develop their
communicative competence by, for example, preparing presentations and are
verified by means of skills tests. Educational methods used to motivate students
to communicate include discussion, brainstorming, preparing statements in pairs
or groups, didactic games and simulations. Vocational subjects developing
communicative competences in close relation to the idea of interculturalism
(e.g. "Intercultural Communication" in the English language teacher and
translator specialisation or "Communication in Organisations and its Cultural
Determinants" in the English language in business and management
specialisation) are also conducted in the form of exercises.
To sum up, the development of communicative competence of the students
of first-cycle practical-oriented studies, in relation to strictly vocational-oriented
tasks (i.e. shaping practical skills), includes the expansion of verbal, non-verbal
and para-linguistic resources, also in relation to the idea of expanding cultural
competence. The progression of the above-mentioned resources takes place in
accordance with the needs of the labour market, including both activities
resulting from the expectations of external stakeholders identified in the course
of the survey and work carried out to meet the individual needs of specific
employers.
 Development of the student's communicative 21
competence
7. Completion

The idea of communicative competence is a key concept in the case of

education in neophilological studies. The evolution of this concept over the
years has led to numerous changes in the approach to student education. At
present, communicative competence is primarily a concept located in the socio-
cultural-economic environment and is shaped by its determinants. Education of
students i n t h e specialisations English for Business and Management and
English Language Teacher and Tutor at the analysed university of applied
sciences fits in with the above concept.

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