Cartoons as a tool for developing speaking skills among students of non-linguistic specialties

The search for innovative and effective tools for developing speaking skills in students of non-linguistic universities leads teachers to use authentic audiovisual materials, including cartoons, in foreign language classes. The choice of a particular cartoon for work is determined primarily by the main goal and objectives of training for a specific stage/lesson, as well as the level of knowledge of students. To prove the effectiveness of a cartoon as a tool for developing speaking skills, we organized and conducted an experimental training in two groups of second-year students of the Higher Biotechnology School of Samara State Technical University. In the experimental group, English classes were held using a set of exercises to develop speaking skills based on the cartoon Shark Tale, 2004, in the control group – using traditional exercises from the main textbook for bachelor students of Samara State Technical University studying in the areas of «Biotechnology» and «Technology of food production and organization of public catering». The results of the experiment showed that the level of development of speaking skills in the experimental group was higher in absolute (average score) and relative (dynamics of changes) dimensions than in the control group, which convincingly demonstrates the need for further active search and use by the teacher in the classroom of new relevant teaching tools that make the process of learning a foreign language effective and interesting for both non-linguistic students and for the teachers themselves.