THE SPECIFICS OF USING THE POTENTIAL OF NON-FORMAL FOREIGN LANGUAGE EDUCATION IN THE CONTEXT OF THE FORMATION OF THE ABILITY OF "LIFELONG LEARNING" AMONG LAW STUDENTS

A special area of the social policy of the Russian Federation is the functioning mechanisms of specialized state institutions of the highest level, aimed primarily at the development of formal education. The terms "lifelong education - lifelong learning" and "lifelong learning" have become the basic concepts of the modern policy of teaching democracy and developing human resources in a multipolar world. This is precisely what contributes to the formation and improvement of skills in the field of professional communication using the knowledge of several foreign languages, as well as the development of competence in the field of citizenship. The aim of the study of the authors of this article is to study the influence of the potential of non-formal (any extracurricular foreign-language educational) activity on the formation of lifelong learning ability among law students at the Department of Foreign Languages of the Law Institute of the Peoples' Friendship University of Russia. The basis of the materials of the study was data from a survey of Russian and foreign students enrolled in the undergraduate program. In the course of the study, comparative, inductive-empirical and hypothetical deductive methods were used, as well as sampling and pragmatic interpretation of text material. The research methodology included questionnaires and statistical data processing. The authors paid attention to the issue of the mutual influence of the processes of "education" (as a social action) and "training" (as the acquisition of knowledge, skills and abilities necessary for the labor market) on the formation of such competency-based components as citizenship, intercultural communication ability, multilingualism, diversity of perspectives and social activity. The results of the study obtained by the authors indicate that the above abilities are acquired by students in different learning contexts and are not limited to the strict scope of classroom studies and the capabilities of the curriculum disciplines. This is proved by the data obtained from a survey of sophomore students on the number of hours spent in the classroom and at a computer (smartphone, tablet) outside the university. A special place in the study is devoted to the problem of the correlation of the importance of "certification" as an element of formal education (obtaining a university diploma, certificate of completion of professional education) and "validation", which reveals the diversity of the palette of acquired competencies (international certificates confirming the level of knowledge of foreign languages for communicative and professional goals, certificates of participants in various language programs and courses, obtaining grants and confirmation of participation in various competitions and competitions). The authors hope that from a theoretical point of view, the results of the study can be used as recommendations on the adjustment of curricula in foreign languages for undergraduate students in the field of jurisprudence.