FORMATION OF A FUTURE FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHER’S PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCE THROUGH THE USE OF A VIRTUAL EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENT

ФОРМИРОВАНИЕ ПРОФЕССИОНАЛЬНОЙ КОМПЕТЕНЦИИ БУДУЩЕГО УЧИТЕЛЯ ИНОСТРАННОГО ЯЗЫКА ПОСРЕДСТВОМ ИСПОЛЬЗОВАНИЯ ВИРТУАЛЬНОЙ ОБРАЗОВАТЕЛЬНОЙ СРЕДЫ

Халиолла Ғазиза Газимқызы

магистр педагогических наук, Карагандинский национальный исследовательский университет имени академика Е.А. Букетова, Казахстан, г. Караганда

Abstract. The article examines the formation of professional competence of future foreign language teachers through the use of a virtual educational environment. The study identifies key components of competence and analyzes the effectiveness of digital tools in teacher training. The research highlights the importance of integrating modern technologies into pedagogical education.

Аннотация. В статье рассматривается формирование профессиональной компетентности будущих учителей иностранного языка с использованием виртуальной образовательной среды. В исследовании определяются ключевые компоненты компетентности и анализируется эффективность цифровых инструментов в подготовке педагогов. Подчеркивается важность интеграции современных технологий в педагогическое образование.

Keywords: professional competence, foreign language teacher, virtual educational environment, digital technologies, teacher training, e-learning, pedagogical skills.

Ключевые слова: профессиональная компетентность, учитель иностранного языка, виртуальная образовательная среда, цифровые технологии, подготовка учителей, электронное обучение, педагогические навыки.

Modern higher education is going through a period of serious transformation, and one of the main drivers of this change is digitalization. This, in turn, creates new demands on how we prepare future teachers. The professional standard of a teacher today is no longer limited to subject knowledge and methodological skills – it also includes a high level of digital readiness. Foreign language teachers face a particularly interesting challenge: they must not only master the language itself but also be able to effectively integrate modern technologies into their lessons. In my opinion, the formation of professional competence through virtual educational environments (VEE) is one of the most promising areas in this field.

The relevance of this research stems from a clear contradiction. On the one hand, there is an obvious need to introduce innovative digital technologies into the training of language teachers. On the other hand, the scientific and methodological support for using virtual environments in this context remains insufficiently developed. That is why I set the goal of exploring how effective virtual educational environments can be in shaping the professional competence of future foreign language teachers.

When I started working on this topic, I turned to the works of both Russian and international researchers dealing with digital pedagogy and the competence-based approach. In modern educational science, professional competence is usually understood as an integrative personal characteristic that combines knowledge, skills, abilities, and personal qualities needed for successful professional activity. For a foreign language teacher, this includes linguistic, communicative, methodological, and informational components.

A. A. Verbitsky, whose work I found particularly useful, emphasizes that professional competence can only be formed in conditions of quasi-professional activity – that is, when theoretical knowledge is applied in a context that resembles real professional practice [1, p. 45]. A virtual educational environment, I believe, provides exactly that kind of context. It allows students to simulate teaching situations, conduct lessons in a digital format, and interact with virtual “students” before they start working in real schools. E. S. Polat defines a virtual educational environment as a specially organized information space that integrates software, technical, and methodological resources to support the learning process online [2, p. 112].

In my analysis, the professional competence of a future foreign language teacher in the digital era can be broken down into four main components: motivational-value (readiness to use digital tools in professional activity), cognitive (knowledge of the subject and digital didactics), activity-based (the ability to design and conduct lessons in a virtual environment), and reflexive (the ability to evaluate the effectiveness of one’s own digital teaching). It seems to me that the virtual educational environment most directly influences the last two – the activity-based and cognitive components.

The methodological basis for using VEE in foreign language instruction is built around principles such as interactivity, multimedia integration, hypertextuality, and authenticity. Platforms like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Moodle, and even specialized simulators like “Classroom VR” make it possible to create conditions that closely resemble real professional settings. However, as S. G. Ter-Minasova rightly notes, digital tools should not become an end in themselves – they are valuable only insofar as they help create a natural language environment and facilitate genuine communication [3, p. 78].

To test these ideas, I conducted an experiment at the Faculty of Foreign Languages. The goal was to see whether a model based on the systematic use of virtual environments could effectively develop professional competence. The experiment involved 60 third-year students enrolled in the “Pedagogical Education” program with a focus on foreign languages. I divided them into two groups: a control group, which followed traditional methods with some ICT elements, and an experimental group, which used a specially designed approach that systematically integrated virtual environments into micro-teaching sessions, development of digital materials, and project-based activities.

The formative stage of the experiment included several pedagogical conditions that I tried to implement as consistently as possible:

1. Introducing a module called “Digital Didactics of a Foreign Language” into the curriculum to help students develop skills for designing lessons in virtual environments.
2. Using simulation technologies: students in the experimental group practiced by conducting lessons via Zoom using interactive whiteboards (Miro, Jamboard) and gamification platforms (Quizlet, Kahoot).
3. Redesigning part of their teaching practice: some lesson analysis was done remotely using video recordings uploaded to Moodle, followed by forum discussions.

When I compared the results, the differences were quite noticeable. At the beginning of the experiment, the level of professional competence in both groups was roughly average. In the experimental group, the activity-based component (organizing student interaction in a digital environment) scored an average of 2.3 out of 5; in the control group it was 2.4. After the intervention, the experimental group’s score rose to 4.1, while the control group only reached 3.2. This, I think, clearly shows the potential of virtual environments.

The biggest improvement was seen in the ability to design digital educational resources. Students from the experimental group didn’t just use ready‑made tools – they learned to integrate them into a coherent pedagogical approach, taking into account the age of learners and the specific nature of foreign language teaching. When I looked at their final theses, 85% of students in the experimental group had incorporated virtual environment elements into the methodological part of their research, and 60% had developed their own digital resources. In the control group, the figures were 40% and 25%, respectively.

Another interesting finding was that working in a virtual environment helped students become more reflective. Recording their micro‑lessons in Zoom and then watching the recordings allowed them to analyze their own teaching more carefully. They paid attention to aspects they might otherwise have missed – for example, how to interact with students when non‑verbal cues are limited. This supports what M. A. Choshanov argues: virtualization of education forces us to rethink how we assess teaching quality, shifting focus from the final result to the process of interaction [4, p. 203].

Of course, the experiment also revealed some challenges. One issue was that not all academic supervisors were equally prepared to work in a virtual environment. Some lacked sufficient experience with digital didactics, which sometimes limited the effectiveness of the experimental work. Another challenge was the uneven digital literacy among students – a few were quite resistant to using technology and preferred traditional methods.

These difficulties suggest that integrating virtual environments into teacher education requires a holistic approach. It’s not enough to just add digital tools here and there; they need to be embedded across the entire curriculum – from theoretical courses (where students learn about digital possibilities) to practicum (where they actually try teaching in a digital school). Only then will the virtual environment become part of the professional culture rather than being seen as just a technical add‑on [5, p. 89].

I should also mention that virtual environments can significantly help develop communicative competence, especially in a foreign language context. Participating in international webinars, video conferences, and telecommunication projects with native speakers gives students a chance to overcome language barriers and gain valuable intercultural experience. For a future language teacher, who essentially acts as a cultural mediator, this is extremely important. Through such interactions – which are only possible via virtual platforms – students improve not only their language skills but also their sociocultural awareness.

To sum up, I believe that using a virtual educational environment is an effective way to build the professional competence of future foreign language teachers. The results of my experiment show that systematic work in the digital space helps develop design skills, boosts digital literacy, and prepares students for professional life in an increasingly digital educational landscape. In the future, I would like to explore the possibilities of more immersive technologies – like virtual and augmented reality – in teacher training, as well as develop a clearer system for tracking competence development in virtual settings.

So, in my view, integrating virtual environments into higher pedagogical education is not just a nod to current trends. It is a necessary step to ensure that we graduate specialists who are ready to work effectively in modern schools. When used thoughtfully, virtual environments do not replace traditional teaching methods – they expand the range of possibilities, helping create conditions that are much closer to real professional practice, and ultimately contributing to a higher quality of professional competence in future teachers.