Teaching with regard to regional cultures in Higher education institutions: the case of teaching English in Kazakhstan

Abstract

Relevance. The relevance of the study is motivated by the process of reforming the education system being closely tied to the challenges of fostering regional culture and ethnic identities in Kazakhstan. Purpose. The study is aimed at examining the issue of regional culture and its interaction with the education system in the Republic of Kazakhstan. Methodology. The leading methods of studying this problem are analysis, classification, induction, deduction, generalisation and comparison of scientific and philosophical approaches, which will help to consider the pedagogical potential of regional culture in teaching English in Kazakhstan. Results. The investigation reveals the principles and concepts of the use of elements of regional culture in higher educational institutions; studies the regional aspects as the foundations of pedagogical potential in the development of modern society; makes a detailed literature analysis and specifies the content, characteristics and features of the studied phenomenon; generalises qualities and assessments of the correlative interaction of regional culture with the social space of higher educational institutions; describes cultural paradigm in the realisation of the regional component in higher education; shows some aspects of professional training of teachers with regard to the implementation of regional elements; characterizes the importance of cultural and historical heritage of Kazakhstan and its influence on the language situation; diagnoses students' attitude towards using local materials in learning a foreign language; shows the prospects of developing the pedagogical potential of regional culture in education in Kazakhstan. Conclusions. The materials of the study are of the practical and theoretical value for the younger generation, students who will be able to pass the stage of self-identification, cultivate patriotic feelings and an understanding of the unity of the country's development. The information will also be of value to politicians, academics, cultural historians, literary figures and educationalists as they create effective textbooks and contribute to improving the English language learning process.