Using the linguistic landscape as an innovative method to enhance students’ learning engagement

Abstract

This article examines the pedagogical potential of the linguistic landscape method as a means of increasing student engagement in bilingual education. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of integrating elements of urban visual-linguistic environment into process of teaching Russian as a second language. The methodological framework included questionnaires, semiotic analysis of visual texts, and completion of project-based and practice-oriented tasks. The empirical part of the study was conducted among sixth-grade students at a secondary school in Pavlodar, who worked with authentic objects from the linguistic landscape: signs, billboards, school stands, and navigation signs. The findings indicate an increase in students’ emotional and cognitive engagement, the development of metalinguistic awareness, and an improvement in ability to interpret visual and linguistic elements in a sociocultural context. An important component of the methodology was the integration of digital platforms (Genially, Miro), which enabled visualization of collected data, organization of collective discussions, and expansion of students’ research and project skills. The practical significance of the study lies in confirming effectiveness of a multimodal approach that links educational activities with real urban communication. The theoretical value of the work consists in clarifying methodological provisions that reveal functional significance of visual-linguistic environment for second language learning, as well as in determining prospects for further development of the methodology. The results of the study confirm that the linguistic landscape method is an effective tool for integrating the cultural component into teaching Russian as a second language.