Digital educational environment and the formation of motivation to learn a foreign language among young students

The relevance of the study is due to the growing role of the digital educational environment in the formation of motivation to study a foreign language among young students, for whom technological tools served as the main channel of educational interaction. The purpose of the study was to identify and model psychological and pedagogical conditions that ensure stable educational motivation of students aged 17-21 in a digital environment. The study applied a theoretical analysis of modern approaches to the study of motivation, systemic modelling of components of educational activity, structural and functional analysis of digital technologies. Based on the results obtained, a practical programme for the formation of motivation to study a foreign language in a digital environment was developed. The results of the study showed that students’ motivation was determined by the interaction of three key components: awareness of the educational goal, emotional safety of the educational environment and sociocultural relevance of the educational material. The programme demonstrated an increase in students’ cognitive activity, increased interest in completing educational tasks, improved attitude towards the use of digital tools, and increased readiness to apply knowledge in practical situations. Participants noted greater involvement in the educational process, a sense of support, and the ability to independently regulate the pace of learning, which contributed to the formation of intrinsic motivation. The practical value of the work lies in creating an integrated model of motivation for learning a foreign language in a digital environment and developing a programme that can be used in higher education institutions to improve the quality of foreign language teaching. The research materials can be used by teachers, methodologists, and developers of digital educational courses