IMPROVING THE METHODOLOGY FOR DEVELOPING PHONETIC COMPETENCE IN NON-PHILOLOGY STUDENTS IN THE CONTEXT OF DIGITALIZATION: THE CASE OF ENGLISH

Abstract

The digital transformation of higher education has expanded the range of tools available
for teaching English pronunciation, yet access to technology alone does not guarantee the
development of intelligible, confident, and context-appropriate speech. This article examines
ways to improve the methodology for developing phonetic competence among students whose
majors are not philology. The study is conceptual and analytical: it synthesizes methodological
literature on foreign-language teaching, pronunciation instruction, learner autonomy, and
technology-enhanced learning, and translates this literature into a structured pedagogical
framework suitable for non-language-specialist university programmes. Phonetic competence is
treated as an integrated capacity involving segmental accuracy, word stress, rhythm, intonation,
perception, production, self-monitoring, and intelligibility in professional communication. The
proposed framework combines diagnostic assessment, explicit modelling, focused perception
practice, guided production, recording-and-comparison tasks, communicative transfer, and
formative feedback. Digital tools—including pronunciation dictionaries, speech recording,
spectrograms, learning-management systems, and speech-recognition applications—are
positioned as supports for practice rather than substitutes for teacher judgement. Particular
attention is given to the risk of overemphasizing accent imitation, relying uncritically on
automated scores, and using digital activities without a clear learning outcome. The article
argues that an effective methodology should be needs-based, short-cycle, discipline-sensitive,
accessible, and measurable. It proposes a set of indicators for evaluating progress and outlines
implementation principles for blended and classroom-based instruction. Since the article does
not report a new empirical intervention, the framework should be understood as a literature-
informed proposal requiring validation through classroom research.