Abstract

This paper is an attempt to reveal conditions for professional interest activation in the process of memorization foreign lexical items by University students. The research is based on the classification of interest by D. Uznadze (viz.: formal interest and content-based interest). The investigation was conducted according to two distinct stages. In Study I, the process of memorization of foreign linguistic units went through under working memory conditions (task-based learning); In Study II, the process of memorization of linguistic items was stimulated under long-term memory conditions (text-based learning). Participants of the research were the second-year students of different specialties (Exact Sciences and Medicine) of Tbilisi State University (Level B1+). The students revealed actual intrigued interest towards the first task, but the difference between memorized special foreign terms connected or unconnected with their specialties was not reliable. Thus, professional interest was not actualized. Involvement of long-term memory and the context in the second task gave statistically confirmed difference between professionally and professionally not related texts, which points to activation of professional interest and its stimulating role in memorization of special terminology.

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