Improving Students’ Cognitive Competence in Higher Educational Institutions (On the Example of Foreign Language Teaching)

Аннотация

Cognitive competence — the capacity to © 2025 Original content from this work may be used under the terms of the creative commons attributes 4.0 License. process, integrate and apply knowledge flexibly — is a decisive factor in the academic success of university students. In the domain of foreign‑language teaching, cognition interacts with metacognition, motivation and linguistic proficiency, forming a multilayer construct that determines how effectively learners internalise and transfer linguistic knowledge to communicative situations. The present study investigates pedagogical interventions aimed at enhancing cognitive competence among second‑year undergraduates majoring in English Philology at two Uzbek universities. A quasi‑experimental design compared a cognitively‑enriched syllabus that embedded problem‑based tasks, dialogic reflection and inductive grammar discovery with a conventional skills‑driven curriculum. Cognitive progress was measured with the Adapted Scale of Cognitive Competence (ASCC) and triangulated via think‑aloud protocols. Quantitative results demonstrate a statistically significant improvement in the experimental group (p 0.05) and homogeneity of However, empirical research into how concrete variance (Levene’s test p > 0.05). Paired‑samples t‑tests instructional practices can strengthen cognition assessed within‑group gains; ANCOVA, controlling for beyond linguistic gains remains scarce in the regional pre‑test scores, examined between‑group differences. context. Addressing this gap, the present article NVivo 14 supported thematic coding of verbal explores whether an instructional model that protocols, following Chi’s microgenetic method to trace purposefully integrates cognitive scaffolding into shifts in strategy use. foreign‑language coursework can measurably enhance students’ general cognitive competence without Pre‑intervention ASCC means did not differ significantly sacrificing communicative goals. The study’s between groups (experimental = 2.71, control = 2.74; conceptual lens combines Vygotsky’s sociocultural p = 0.64), attesting to baseline equivalence. After theory, which views learning as mediated by language fourteen weeks, the experimental cohort’s mean rose to and social interaction, with Mayer’s cognitive theory of 3.68 (SD = 0.42), whereas the control group reached multimedia learning, arguing that deep processing 3.05 (SD = 0.39). The within‑group gain for the arises when verbal and non‑verbal channels are experimental class (∆ = 0.97) was highly significant harmonised. (t = 12.21, p < 0.001, d = 1.91), surpassing the control gain (∆ = 0.31; t = 5.78, p < 0.001, d = 0.88). ANCOVA A quasi‑experimental, pre‑test/post‑test confirmed that, after adjusting for pre‑test scores, control‑group design was employed during the sp