ИСТИНА

The image of the ideal student, existing in the era of new technologies, ubiquitous Twitter and Facebook, messengers and commercials, undoubtedly attracts the attention of researchers both at home and abroad. This is a cumulative image of cognitive abilities, business qualities, psycho-physiological peculiarities, appearance and interpersonal skills. The aim of this study is to identify the main characteristics of the image of the ideal language student as perceived by the teachers of foreign languages from three leading universities: Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU), Plekhanov Russian Economics University and The Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration. The relevance of the study is determined by insufficient research of the problem and qualitative changes which have been occurring over the 21st century in education in general and tertiary education in particular. The article attempts to describe and analyse the results of the anonymous survey pertaining to the image of the ideal language students as perceived by the practicing instructors of foreign languages. The total number of respondents was 79 including 42 instructors from Plekhanov University, 22 from the Presidential Academy and 15 from MSU. The analysis of the responses showed that the ideal student as perceived by the teachers is the one who possesses good critical thinking skills, is motivated and disciplined with a serious attitude to studies. The obtained results do not allow drawing conclusions about specific features of the ideal student depending on the length of pedagogical experience. Each age group included all possible sets of characteristics. It is noteworthy that teachers from MSU valued both social qualities (team work, sociability) and personality traits (diligence, decency); the instructors from the Presidential Academy ranked first adequate reaction to critique and willingness to listen and hear; while their counterparts from Plekhanov University emphasized the importance of good presentation skills, speaking and communication competency alongside the interest in the subject. The statement “There are no ideal students” also came from among the practitioners of Plekhanov University.