Pedagogical Conditions for Developing Information Cognitive Competence in Vocational Students

Abstract

The problem of the research. Despite the priorization of digital and project-based technologies in teaching, the pedagogical conditions for developing of information-cognitive competence through the integration of a foreign language and digital environment among students of secondary vocational education remain insufficiently studied. The objective of the study is to theoretically substantiate and empirically test pedagogical conditions for developing information-cognitive competence based on the integration of «language-digital environment» in web-project activities. Methods of investigation. The study draws on the conceptual ideas of competency-based, activity-based, project oriented, digital and systems-integrative approaches. The empirical study was conducted within the framework of the «Programming in Computer Systems» program in the natural educational process at the level of secondary vocational education at Surgut Institute of Economics, Management and Law (Russian Federation), using adapted diagnostic tests, original web project evaluation criteria, and employing descriptive and inferential statistical methods. The data were analyzed using Student’s t-test and the Shapiro-Wilk test, and Cohen’s d values were calculated to estimate effect sizes. KEYWORDS The results of the study. Based on key pedagogical conditions, a model for developing information- cognitive competence in secondary vocational education students through web-based project activities was developed and empirically adapted. This model comprises initial, procedural, and final levels. The results of the empirical study demonstrate a statistically significant increase in the level of information-cognitive competence in the experimental group compared with the control group (p < 0.05, Cohen’s d = 1.94). A substantial improvement across all measured indicators (27.7%) was observed and providing evidence for the validity and effectiveness of the proposed model. Conclusion. The study’s findings expand scientific understanding of potential approaches to organizing and implementing foreign-language web projects and confirm their effectiveness as a tool for developing students’ information-cognitive competencies in secondary vocational education. These findings may be applied within the framework of secondary vocational education, in professional training practices, in vocational education research, and in the development of professionally oriented educational programs.