THE USE OF MILITARY NARRATIVES AND MOTIVATIONAL SPEECHES IN THE PROFESSION-ORIENTED ENGLISH LANGUAGE TRAINING OF FUTURE OFFICERS

Abstract

Relevance: The contemporary operational environment of the security and defense sector of Ukraine, shaped by the full-scale war and the intensification of international military cooperation, underscores the urgent need to modernize the language training of future officers. Traditional approaches to English language teaching in higher military educational institutions, particularly under martial law, do not fully ensure readiness for effective professional communication and interaction. Consequently, the deployment of military narratives and motivational speeches as authentic texts of military discourse takes on particular significance. Integrating them into the English language learning process allows for the synthesis of language training with the development of the rhetorical, leadership, and moral-psychological competencies of future officers.

Aim: To theoretically substantiate and experimentally verify the methodology of implementing military narratives and motivational speeches into the English language training process of future officers, as well as to determine its impact on the development of cadets' foreign language communicative and rhetorical competencies within the professional military training system.

Methods: The study employs a comprehensive set of theoretical and practice-oriented methods. Analysis, systematization, and generalization of scientific literature were applied to establish the theoretical foundations of military discourse, professional language training, and the rhetoric of military leadership. Elements of critical discourse analysis, narrative analysis, and psycholinguistic analysis were utilized to examine the structure, functions, and linguistic features of military narratives and motivational speeches. Communication modeling and role-playing games were used to practice professional interaction in English. Rhetorical analysis of authentic English-language texts was conducted to develop professional communication and persuasive speaking skills. The creation of motivational addresses, combat mini-narratives, and official service communications in English by cadets was used to evaluate the level of their professional speech competence.

Results: It has been established that the use of military narratives and motivational speeches in English language teaching fosters the development of future officers' professional communicative competence, rhetorical skills, critical thinking, and leadership communication skills. Authentic texts of military discourse were found to ensure high levels of emotional engagement among cadets and to increase their motivation to learn English. It is substantiated that the most effective forms of implementing this approach include discourse-analysis tasks, situational modeling exercises, role-playing scenarios, comparative analysis of military discourse genres, and the creation of original, profession-oriented English texts. The integration of combat stories and motivational addresses into the educational process has been proven to enhance moral-psychological resilience (sustainability), argumentation skills, and the capacity for effective communication under the stressful conditions of service and combat activities.

Conclusions: The utilization of military narratives and motivational speeches in profession-oriented English language training for future officers represents an effective avenue for enhancing professional language preparation in higher military educational institutions. Employing authentic military discourse aligns the content of foreign language training with the real-world conditions of service and combat activities, bolstering its professional focus. The results of the pedagogical experiment confirmed the effectiveness of the proposed methodology. Cadets in the experimental group demonstrated a more pronounced increase in professional English speech proficiency, rhetorical competence, and communicative adaptability compared to the control group. This validates the feasibility of employing military narratives and motivational speeches as a vital didactic resource for the professional foreign language training of future officers.