Use of digital educational resources and artificial intelligence in teaching the Russian language in the new territories: examples of topics about living nature

Abstract

The article analyzes the possibilities of integrating digital educational resources and artificial intelligence tools into Russian language teaching in schools of the new territories of the Russian Federation, where the transformation of the educational space is associated with overcoming the heterogeneity of students’ language preparation, personnel shortages, limitations of educational and methodological materials, and psychoemotional tension caused by the conditions of the transitional period. Central importance is attached to the application of thematic content connected with the world of living nature of regional ecosystems – the steppe landscapes of Donbas, the Azov water areas, and the Black Sea coast – which possesses pronounced linguodidactic potential for developing skills of description, narration, and reasoning, enriching the lexical stock with specialized terminology, mastering synonymous and antonymic relations and means of expressiveness, as well as strengthening cultural identity through an emotional connection with one’s native land. Generative artificial intelligence models enable the creation of adapted texts of various genres, differentiated exercises in spelling, punctuation, and syntax, and function as interactive interlocutors for practicing coherent utterances, while intelligent systems for analyzing student work allow the identification of persistent errors typical of Ukrainian–Russian bilingualism and dialectal influences and the construction of industrialized pathways for their correction. Comparison of the dynamics of linguistic competence formation in classes that systematically used adaptive learning platforms, generative tools, and natural-history material with the indicators of groups applying traditional methods revealed a statistically significant superiority of the first approach: the increase in the integral indicator of language literacy was almost twice as large, particularly pronounced in parameters of lexical richness of speech, coherence of written expression, and orthographic and punctuation accuracy. Analysis of pedagogical assessments confirms the high effectiveness of these technologies in individualizing the educational process and reducing time expenditures on the preparation of didactic materials, while simultaneously pointing to infrastructural limitations such as unstable connectivity and insufficient device provision, as well as the necessity of expert verification of generated content. The obtained data indicate that the combination of digital resources, artificial intelligence, and substantively motivated natural-history themes contributes to accelerated overcoming of educational deficits in complex socio-pedagogical conditions, forming not only formal linguistic skills but also a reflexive attitude toward text production, expanding the motivational potential of learning, and integrating elements of regional studies and ecological awareness. Such a model, while preserving the teacher’s defining role as expert and mentor, expands the range of pedagogical influence and offers scientifically grounded guidelines for developing regional strategies of language education digitalization in territories with transitional status, possessing high relevance for methodological science and practice.