The role of digital textbooks in developing motivation and creative competence in future engineers when learning a foreign language

This article examines the potential of digital textbooks as a tool for the digital transformation of language training in engineering education. The aim of the study is to evaluate their contribution to: 1) the development of thinking technologies and intrinsic motivation; 2) the development of digital skills and abilities; 3) the ability to solve professional problems in English using AI tools. The key didactic advantages of the digital format such as personalization, interactivity, and dynamic content updates are identified based on a comparative analysis and literature review. The integration of AI tools significantly increases student motivation, engagement, and cognitive activity, promoting the development of critical thinking and the creative use of language. The empirical basis was the testing of the multi-format manual "Creativity Navigator" (paper, digital, and gamified formats) in groups of B1-B2 students. The methods used were project activities, questionnaires (Likert scale), creative skills testing, analysis of reflective essays, and quantitative assessment of academic performance. The results confirmed the digital textbook's positive impact on the development of thinking, digital skills, and the ability to solve professional problems using AI. A conclusion was drawn about its transformative role, despite implementation barriers. The theoretical significance of the study lies in demonstrating the tool's effectiveness, and its practical significance lies in providing a model for optimizing education at engineering universities

1. Blagov Yu. V., Plekhanova O. E. (2023). Integrative application of multimedia and digital technologies in teaching foreign languages. Conceptual apparatus of pedagogy and education. Pp.218-230. (In Russian)

2. Cañavate J., Martínez-Marroquín E. (2025). Engineering a sustainable future through the integration of generative AI in engineering education Colom. Sustainability. 17(7): 3201. DOI 10.3390/su17073201.

3. Deci E. L., Ryan R. M. (2008). Self-determination theory: A macrotheory of human motivation, development and health. Canadian Psychology. Psychologie canadienne. 49(3): pp.182-185.

4. Ergene O., Ergene B. C. (2025). AI ChatBots' solutions to mathematical problems in interactive e-textbooks: Affordances and constraints from the eyes of students and teachers. Education and Information Technologies. 30(1): pp.509-545. DOI 10.1007/s10639-024-13121-z.

5. Feng X., Lee D. B. (2025). Navigating the digital nexus: new tech achievements in Chinese textbooks for foreigners. Cogent Education. 12(1): 2507546. DOI 10.1080/2331186X.2025.2507546.

6. Gabeeva K. A., Bokova T. N., Vishnevskaya E. M. (2025). Foreign language textbook for pedagogical universities: a modern view. Domestic and foreign pedagogy. 1(4): pp.121-130. DOI 10.24412/2224-0772-2025-107-121-130. (In Russian)

7. Giannakos M., Azevedo R., Brusilovsky P. [et al.]. (2025). The promise and challenges of generative AI in education. Behaviour & Information Technology. 44(11): pp.2518-2544. DOI 10.1080/0144929X.2024.2394886

8. Gladchuk E. A. (2025). Typology of exercises for developing professional communicative competence in chemistry students when teaching English. Pedagogy. Theory and practice. 10(9): 1412-1421. DOI 10.30853/ped20250169. (In Russian)

9. Gurnikovsky A. I., Gurnikovskaya R. Yu., Lyashenko V. S., Seregin G. G., Usacheva T. V., Shimitylo V. L. (2023). Modern technologies in teaching digital skills at the level of higher professional education in the Russian Federation. Education Management: Theory and Practice. 9(67): pp.91-107. DOI 10.25726/w8446-7694-4952-t. (In Russian)

10. Khablieva S. R. (2025). A Model for Developing Digital Skills in Students of Pedagogical Specialties. World of Science, Culture, and Education. 2(111): 100-103. DOI 10.24412/1991-5497-2025-2111-100-103. (In Russian)

11. Krupoderova E. P., Panova I. V., Krupoderova K. R. (2025). Organization of research activities of future masters in the field of digital transformation of education. Problems of modern pedagogical education. 86-4: pp.164-167. (In Russian)

12. Lee H., Han S. (2025). A Study on the Development of a Metadata Schema for Digital Textbooks. Journal of the Korean Society for Library and Information Science. 59(1): pp.355-382.

13. Nepesova S. (2025). Development of students' cognitive skills through the integration of digital technologies into the educational process. International Journal of Humanities and Natural Sciences. 3-2 (102): pp.95-100. DOI 10.24412/2500-1000-2025-3-2-95-100. (In Russian)

14. Nikolenko E. Yu. (2025). Educational and methodological complex on Russian as a foreign language in the era of digitalization. Russian language at the crossroads of eras: traditions and innovations in Russian studies. 2: pp.158-165. DOI 10.24412/cl-37215-2025-2-158-165. (In Russian)

15. Shefieva E. Sh., Bessarabova O. N. (2023). Teaching a foreign language to students of a non-linguistic university as a technology for developing critical thinking (opportunities and limitations in the context of digitalization). Bulletin of the South Ural State Humanitarian and Pedagogical University. 2(174): 236-258. DOI 10.25588/CSPU.2023.174.2.014 (In Russian)

16. Valkova Yu. E. (2025). Using Artificial Intelligence in Foreign Language Classes at a University. Bulletin of Moscow University. Series 20. Pedagogical Education. 1: pp. 137-151. DOI 10.55959/LPEJ-25-07. (In Russian)