Native Language in the Process of Foreign Language Studying at the Higher School: Psychological Aspects of Bilingualism

The article deals with the psychological aspects of the bilingualism problem which arises in the process of mastering a foreign language at the higher school. The relevance of the study is caused by the popularity of multicultural bilingual education by means of native and foreign languages studying as an important part of the modernization of the goals and content of national educational systems both in Europe and in Ukraine. The purpose of this study is to determine the place and role of the mother tongue in the process of the foreign language mastering by conducting a psychological research among students who study English at the higher educational establishments. It has been proved that level of knowledge according to "The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment" greatly depends on psychological stability and self-awareness that help to overcome linguistic and psychological barriers. The study has found that influence of the native language on the process of foreign language mastering in general and English in particular leads to student bilingualism, which type depends directly on the level of language skills and abilities (speaking, listening, comprehension, reading, writing and thinking in two languages). Therefore, three types of bilingualism that affect the production and perception of the foreign language have been distinguished and studied. Having done the specific research during the preparation for the writing of this work it has been stated that under the increase of the level of foreign language proficiency, linguistic and psychological barriers disappear and, consequently, the type of bilingualism change into more advanced because of the user's skills improvement.