EDUCATION AND GLOBALIZATION: MODERN TENDENCIES IN THE STUDY OF ENGLISH IN THE EUROPEAN UNION

Abstract

The article “Education and Globalization: Modern Tendencies in the Study of English in the European Union” analyzes the statistics collected by the European Commission on the study and use of English in the European Union, its distribution and features of functioning within the EU member states. It is established that the English language plays a particularly important role in the professional, educational and scientific environment, as well as in the field of international cooperation and Internet communication. The influence of the educational sphere of the European Union on the formation and support of English as a lingua franca within the EU has been traced (even after Brexit). English is traditionally one of the five most common foreign languages spoken by the EU citizens, and although the European Union implements the policy of multilingualism at the institutional level, most citizens prefer to learn English as their first (main) foreign language. In 19 of the 25 Member States where English is not the official or state language, it remains the most widely spoken foreign language, and more than 30 percent of respondents believe that they speak it most fluently. More than 80 percent of Europeans find foreign language skills very useful, 67 percent say English is one of the two most useful languages, and about four in five EU citizens consider English to be one of the most useful languages for their children's future. The article shows that the highest level of English skills is demonstrated by young people aged 15 to 24; those who received a full-time education over the age of 20; people living in major cities of the European Union; those who continue their professional training; and people who use the Internet daily. Schools play a special role in promoting the study and use of English in the European Union - more than 90 percent of high school students study it there. Just over two thirds of EU citizens have learned a foreign language this way. Based on the collected material, the study demonstrates that the field of education plays a leading role in the formation of English as the lingua franca of the modern globalized world in general, and the European Union in particular.