Abstract

Introduction. The aim of the research was to study didactic, linguistic and socio-cultural approaches in the process of organizing extra-classes activities in a foreign language at a non-linguistic university by the example of the creativity competition dedicated to the International Mother Language Day. The relevance of the work springs from the increasing importance of encouraging respect and tolerance to the language and cultural diversity existing in the world today. The novelty of the research lies in the fact that the effectiveness and urgency of the proposed form of extracurricular work was proven.Methodology and data sources. The authors have researched the works on ethnopedagogics and the internationalization of the learning process at a university by Kondratyeva T. N., Starodubtseva O. G., Stefanenko T. G and others. From the viewpoint of linguodidactics and sociology of culture, the works submitted by the students for the creative competition “International Mother Language Day” were analyzed. The competition was held at St. Petersburg State Chemical and Pharmaceutical University in February 2021.Results and discussion. The research has shown the role of the competition in the process of the development of the students’ socio-cultural competencies. The creative works presented for the competition demonstrated the students’ great interest in their native language, the desire to share the wealth and diversity of the national language and culture, and to creatively present the beauty, history and peculiarities of the language. It was asserted that solving the practical tasks of the competition resulted in building up such soft skills as teamwork and presentation skills. The authors plan to organize the creative competition “International Mother Language Day” annually and to attract participants from the other universities of Russia, as well as from the countries of near and far abroad.Conclusion. It was concluded that presentation of the national language contributed to an increase in motivation of learning a foreign language, and the use of digital technologies and social networks made it possible to show the importance of fostering positive interethnic relations by means that are relevant to the younger generation.