Development of critical thinking of agricultural university students in the process of learning foreign languages

The purpose of the study is to substantiate the need for students of an agricultural university to develop critical thinking skills in the process of teaching foreign languages. The article analyzes the main theoretical approaches to understanding critical thinking as a fundamental phenomenon for the development of universal and professional competencies of future specialists in philosophy, psychology, and pedagogy; identifies the main components in the structure of critical thinking of university students. The author highlights the knowledge and skills that are important for the development of this phenomenon in the process of teaching foreign languages, namely, the skills of analysis, synthesis, and argumentation. The scientific novelty of the research consists in the development of a methodology for the development of students’ critical thinking skills in teaching a foreign language at an agricultural university, taking into account the identified methodological conditions: the use of educational and professional tasks, problematic situations in a professional context; a consistent transition in the process of foreign language learning from techniques and tasks for the development of analysis skills to the development of synthesis and argumentation skills; reporting the individual intellectual abilities of the student, as well as the characteristics of the modern digital generation of students. As a result, pedagogical scenarios have been developed for the organization of students’ learning activities in a foreign language, contributing to the development of critical thinking skills of students of an agrarian university in teaching a foreign language.