Development of Sociocultural Competence of an English Language Teacher in The Context of The Modern Foreign Language Educational Environment

The article examines the development of sociocultural competence of an English language teacher as an essential component of professional competence in the contemporary foreign language educational environment. The relevance of the study is determined by the changing role of English as a means not only of linguistic communication but also of intercultural interaction. The article argues that professional competence of an English language teacher cannot be reduced to language proficiency and teaching methodology, since the teacher acts as a mediator between different cultural norms, values and communicative patterns. Based on the analysis of contemporary approaches, the concept of sociocultural competence of an English language teacher is clarified. An original structural model is proposed, comprising motivational-value, cognitive-interpretive, communicative-mediational, methodological-design and reflective-evaluative components. The pedagogical conditions for developing this competence are identified, including contextualization of sociocultural content, comparative analysis of cultures, organization of intercultural interaction, cultural mediation and professional reflection. Criteria and indicators for assessing the level of sociocultural competence are proposed. The scientific novelty lies in conceptualizing sociocultural competence not as a set of country-specific facts but as an integrative professional ability to interpret cultural meanings, mediate intercultural interaction and transform sociocultural content into a pedagogical resource.