IMPROVING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING USING AN INTEGRATIVE APPROACH BASED ON LONGREADS

64 Danish Scientific Journal No101, 2025 PEDAGOGICAL SCIENCES IMPROVING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING USING AN INTEGRATIVE APPROACH BASED ON LONGREADS Turgunova F. Doctoral student at Andijan State Pedagogical Institute, Andijan, Uzbekistan University of Journalism and Mass Communication of Uzbekistan, Tashkent, Uzbekistan https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17493479 Abstract This article examines some aspects of implementing an integrated approach to English language learning using longreads. It is found that an integrated approach to the educational process contributes to improved selfknowledge, self-identification, and the development of qualified specialists. It is demonstrated that longreads, prepared with high content quality, can be used in the lessons conducted in the classroom and during independent work. Moreover, their use plays a significant role in improving the quality of the educational process. Based on the experimental results obtained, it was found that the introduction of longreads into the educational process increases student interest in classes and significantly improves student learning of the educational materials. Keywords: Integrated learning, longread, journalism, multimedia elements. Introduction In the modern higher education system, an integrative approach to teaching English involves the study of all types of speech activity (speaking, listening, reading, writing) in an interconnected manner, as well as the study of English in a professional context through the implementation of interdisciplinary connections. An integrative approach to education activates students and develops qualified specialists prepared for effective intercultural communication. An integrated approach to the educational process promotes self-knowledge and self-identification [1,2]. Students accustomed to thinking in a narrow field develop their reflection. The development of new educational courses that meet the needs of a modern audience through the integration of knowledge is becoming a contemporary necessity. At the current stage of development of the higher education system, interdisciplinary connections are becoming increasingly important, and in practice, knowledge is being integrated across various disciplines. Therefore, teaching English offers teachers ample opportunities to develop interdisciplinary connections [3,4]. Articles published in regular publications such as newspapers and magazines provide valuable material for linguistic observation. Articles presented to students for reading and listening in such wellknown English-language newspapers as The Times, The Guardian, The New York Times, and Columbia Journalism Review, which are widely circulated today, serve as vivid examples of the integration of English with the cultural and artistic histories of foreign people and countries. Articles published in these publications are highly informative and can be used both in the classroom and for independent study. Historical information presented as an active background for foreign language learning, enhances students' learning activity in class and stimulates their English proficiency. Reading news in English is an effective way to develop all four types of language skills, and longreads play a vital role in this. Longreads can present educational material not only as long, boring texts but also in short sections accompanied by engaging video or audio materials. Longreads are "large text" materials in English that do not necessarily cover a very large volume of text. For such materials, the content is more important than the length [5,6,7]. The goal of using them in English language teaching is to achieve the deepest possible understanding of the subject. In general, the term "longread" refers to the format of presenting educational material. Its main distinguishing feature is that in this case, learning material on a new topic is presented to students not only in text form but also through audio and video recordings, photographs, computer graphics, and other multimedia elements. A well-structured longread, both in structure and content, is perceived by students as a coherent and engaging narrative. There are no restrictions on the delivery of such material [8]. Materials and Methods This research study examines the effectiveness of an integrated approach to teaching English using the longread format, a popular method in modern higher education. Longreads combine comprehensive, indepth, and detailed analysis of a specific topic within a subject and contain text with various multimedia elements. Experimental analysis was conducted to determine the levels of English language acquisition by future journalists in longread-based classes, which involved students from the Department of Foreign Languages at the Journalism and Mass Communications University of Uzbekistan. The longreads used in the classroom were based on materials available in various media (newspapers, magazines, and multimedia educational materials). Results and Discussion When using longreads in their work, modern teachers must pay special attention to the techniques and rules of their creation and apply them correctly. Then, despite the large volume of educational material, students will perceive it with greater interest and satisfaction, and its assimilation will be effective. Danish Scientific Journal No101, 2025 65 The longread selection methodology involves first identifying a topic in the subject being studied, thoroughly researching it using multiple sources, analyzing it, and then editing and revising the text on the topic, consisting of an introduction, main sections, and a conclusion, integrating multimedia elements to engage students. It's worth emphasizing that text formatting—that is, dividing the text into short fragments, selecting headings for them, using easy-to-read fonts, presenting the text in a table format, creating moving animation effects for letters and words in the text, etc.–plays a very important role. To enhance comprehension of material presented in the form of a longread, it is essential to effectively use multimedia elements (photographs, audio and video materials, infographics). This ensures easy and engaging in-depth study of a complex topic containing a large amount of information, as well as its comprehensive analysis. The key principles of a longread include comprehensive coverage of the topic, an engaging text structure, the use of multimedia elements, and a well-developed logical sequence that facilitates student reasoning. Today, interactive and multimedia texts are widely used in higher education for in-depth study of various topics in English language teaching. This not only increases student engagement in the classroom but also develops their reading skills, facilitates easy and accessible comprehension of complex texts, processes the presented information, and utilizes various types of content (text, images, audio and video recordings, infographics) to enhance engagement and emotional response in the classroom. The preparation and presentation of a longread depends on the teacher's concept and goals. Teachers can prepare a longread on any topic in their preferred style. Longreads help achieve the following objectives: 1. Convey a large amount of lesson material to students in a detailed and accessible manner within the allotted lesson time. At the same time, the teacher places special emphasis on developing students' cognitive skills. 2. Engage students in learning activities. If a longread prepared on a chosen topic attracts students' attention, it will spark their interest in the topic and positively change their attitude toward the lesson. 3. Prepare high-quality educational materials that can fully answer questions students may have about the topic during the lesson. 4. Cover complex topics related to the subject in depth while ensuring their easy and simple assimilation. The main emphasis is on preparing a longread with commentary, which will help students easily grasp new concepts on the topic. There are several types of longreads, and any of them can be used depending on the purpose. – Analysis - to analyze the causes of events or processes, to work on the image of a company, brand, or individual; – Portrait - to describe and depict a specific person; – Research - to study a specific event, phenomenon, or process; – Reconstruction - for educational events or entertaining students; – Reportage - to cover events or incidents, to promote events or individuals; – Multimedia longread - to entertain an audience; – Commercial longread - to generate interest in a specific brand or product. The main idea of a longread is to present a large volume of educational material in a single, interconnected structure. It is important to connect each sentence to the main idea. The structure of a longread consists of the following parts: – An engaging title that sparks interest in the material; – Information that can engage the audience, in the form of a catchy quote or anecdote that enhances the impression of the title; – If the longread is very long (more than 10,000 characters), it is advisable to add additional components. The transition from one of these parts to another should be quick and easy. – Main Body. Typically, the main body of a longread consists of several sections (blocks) separated by headings. The correct arrangement of these sections is important for the gradual development of the topic. – Conclusion. The conclusion of a longread should reflect the main content of the information contained in it. It is advisable to set a time limit for reading the longread. This will help the student assess in advance whether they can read the longread now or later, making some free time. In our study, we implemented this approach to teaching English to students at the Uzbek University of Journalism and Mass Communications using Englishlanguage media and periodicals. The results are presented below. Eighty-three students enrolled in the fourth year of the journalism program participated in the study. The total number of students was divided into a control group (41 students) and an experimental group (42 students). The text of this article, which students were given to read and listen to during the study, was taken from The Guardian. With the addition of appropriate exercises, it could serve as a good example of a longread and a good example of integrating English and journalism. This article is ideal for teaching journalism students. It can be used both in classroom settings and for independent study. The sociocultural information presented in it can be considered an active background for learning English. This helps to activate students' cognitive activity and motivates them to further study English. The first task is to read the article. Task 1. Reading. “Bish-bash-bosh: how Phyllida Barlow conquered the art world at 73” The Guardian At the age of 65, she retired from teaching and decided to work even harder at her art. Which is when something magical happened: just at that moment, a spell was cast that made people see what they had not seen before. All at once, the very clever curators and 66 Danish Scientific Journal No101, 2025 the very shrewd and canny people who ran galleries saw that Barlow was, after all, a very good artist. The proof that it was magic was that some of the people who now thought her work was very good had known her for many years. At once, many invitations arrived: would Barlow make an exhibition here, and here? People came from far and wide to knock on the door of her house in that shabby London street. Her visitors included the owners of one the grandest and richest galleries in the country. She was nominated for awards and traveled to many places around the world for exhibitions. Now, for the first time in her life, she could make sculptures that were bigger, and more stupendous and formidable than she had ever dreamed. And at last, she was asked to do the single most important thing that any artist could be asked to do: to represent her country at the Venice Biennale. The second task is to listen and fill in the gaps with the missing words. Task 2. Listening. Listen to the text and fill in the gaps. At the age of 65, she 1__________ from teaching, and decided to work even harder at her art. Which is when something magical 2___________: just at that moment, a 3__________ was cast that made people see what they had not seen before. All at once, the very clever 4____________ and the very shrewd and canny people who ran 5____________ saw that Barlow was, after all, a very good artist. The 6__________ that it was magic was that some of the people who now thought her work was very good had known her for many years. At once, many 7_____________ arrived: would Barlow make an 8____________ here, and here? People came from far and wide to knock on the door of her house in that shabby London street. Her visitors included the 9____________ of one the grandest and richest galleries in the country. She was 10____________ for awards and travelled to many places around the 11____________ for exhibitions. Now, for the first time in her life, she could make 12___________ that were bigger, and more stupendous and 13___________ than she had ever dreamed. And at last, she was asked to do the 14___________ most important thing that any artist could be asked to do: to 15__________ her country at the Venice Biennale. The third task is speaking. Task 3. Speaking. In 5 minutes be ready to make a topic following the questions: 1) What did you know about Phyllida Barlow? 2) Why has it taken so long for Phyllida Barlow to succeed? 3) What do you know about the Venice Biennale? 4) Who is your favorite artist in the world? 5) What unique pieces of art do you know? 6) What is your favorite type of art? he fourth task is in writing Task 4. Writing. You have to write a summary on this topic, and express your opinion for 10 minutes. 1. Write about one of your trips to art galleries. Describe the pieces of art that you liked the most. Tell how can you define a good artist. At the end of the experiment, a brief oral and written assessment and test were conducted to determine the students' comprehension of the English-language materials on the topic. The results showed that the comprehension rates of students learning using longreads (the experimental group) differed significantly from those of students studying in traditionally organized classes (the control group). These results are presented in Table 1. They demonstrate that students in the experimental group comprehension of the course materials was significantly faster. This demonstrates the effectiveness of longread-based learning. Table 1 Results of experimental studies to determine the level of English language acquisition by future journalists in classes organized using longreads. Groups (control group – 41 students; experimental group – 42 students) Level of assimilation Higher Sufficient Average Low Number of students % Number of students % Number of students % Number of students % Control 8 19,5 12 29,3 15 36,6 6 14,6 Experimental 14 33,3 17 40,5 9 21,4 2 4,8 Figure 1 shows a diagram showing the learning outcomes of students in the control and experimental groups when learning English using a longread. According to the diagram, the number of students in the experimental group who achieved a "high" learning outcome was 14 students, or 33.3% of the total number of students; 17 students achieved a "sufficient" learning outcome, which constituted 40.5% of the total number of students; 9 students achieved an "average" learning outcome, which constituted 21.4% of the total number of students; and 2 students achieved a "low" learning outcome, which constituted 4.8% of the total number of students. This indicates that the number of students in the experimental group with a "high" learning outcome was 13.8% higher than in the control group, and the number of students who achieved "sufficient" learning outcomes was 11.2% higher. Furthermore, compared to the control group, the proportion of students with an "average" level of comprehension was 15.2% lower, while the proportion of students with a "low" level of comprehension was 9.8%. These results confirm that teaching English using longreads is more effective than traditional methods. Danish Scientific Journal No101, 2025 67 Fig. 1. Academic performance indicators of students in the control and experimental groups in training organized on the basis of longreads. Conclusion Based on the obtained results, it can be concluded that in the modern higher education system, an integrated approach to teaching English using English-language periodicals is undoubtedly becoming a key requirement, and its implementation in the educational process will lead to effective student learning. When using longreads in the educational process, the recommended educational material should have a large vocabulary and be presented not only in text form but also as audio or video format. This will increase student interest in the lessons and encourage them to study English alongside other subjects. Using such materials in the educational process allows for a critical assessment of the subject matter being covered and comprehensively develops students' knowledge. 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