USING MODERN DIGITAL RESEARCH TOOLS IN THE "FUNDAMENTALS OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH" COURSE FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE STUDENTS

Abstract: The rapid digitalization of higher education has fundamentally transformed the processes through which students search for, evaluate, organize, analyze, and communicate scientific information. For English language students, digital research competence is particularly important because contemporary academic work requires effective interaction with international databases, electronic reference-management systems, corpus resources, and artificial intelligence-supported research platforms. This study investigates the pedagogical effectiveness of integrating modern digital research tools into the “Fundamentals of Scientific Research” course. A mixed-methods design was employed, combining pre- and post-intervention assessments with interviews, reflective journals, classroom observations, and student research portfolios. Quantitative findings demonstrated significant improvements in information retrieval, source evaluation, citation management, data interpretation, and academic research productivity. Qualitative evidence additionally revealed increased research confidence, autonomy, and awareness of responsible digital scholarship. The findings support systematic integration of digital research tools into English language teacher education curricula.