Potential of students’ project work using the example of childfree phenomenon analysis

Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University (SPbPU), 29, Polytechnicheskaya, 195251, St. Petersburg, Russia

^* Corresponding author: namt@mail.ru

Abstract

Information and communication technologies create new educational opportunities, and the most obvious of which are related to e-learning. Nowadays Internet provides great opportunities for organizing a team project work. The article considers an example of quantitative and content analysis of authentic materials and relevant themes in social networks while studying English. The phenomenon of “childfree” is rather common trend among young people, analysis of which could serve as an incentive to motivate them in acquiring real practical knowledge and skills. The study revealed that statements on this topic are overwhelmingly made by women who can praise a childless lifestyle; that there are different problems related to having children and fears related to pregnancy, childbirth, etc. Photos (selfies, happy moments with pets, frames from travel, achievements in sport) in social networks exacerbate the situation by providing an attractive alternative to families with children, and extra evidence to verbalized rational reasons for supporting “childfree”. The studied example shows that such kind of project work fosters developing critical thinking, language, intercultural, and analytical skills.