ENHANCING LINGUOCULTURAL COMPETENCE IN FUTURE LANGUAGE TEACHERS

Abstract

Linguocultural competence plays a crucial role in preparing future foreign language teachers by integrating both linguistic skills and cultural understanding necessary for effective communication across cultures. We suggest that linguocultural competence is composed of three interconnected subcompetences: sociocultural, cognitive-conceptual and professional-cross-cultural subcompetence. Despite a wide interest in various educational techniques applied to enhance linguocultural competence, little attention has been given to the case-study method. The purpose of this study is to explore the effectiveness of the case-study method in the improvement of the linguocultural competence of future foreign language teachers. The study has an experimental pre-test/post-test design and involves third-year students enrolled in the Bachelor’s program specializing in two foreign languages at Makhambet Utemisov West Kazakhstan University, Kazakh being the language of instruction.  Methodologically, the study combined qualitative analysis of students’ essays and quantitative analysis of the students’ results for their essays based on paired and unpaired t-tests. The findings of the unpaired t-tests show that the experimental and control groups were generally comparable in their pre-tests, in contrast to very and extremely significant discrepancies in their post-test. The findings of the paired t-test demonstrate notable advancement in the linguocultural competence of the participants of the experimental group. The experimental findings indicate that the case-study method, as an active learning strategy, serves as an effective educational tool for improving linguocultural competence in future foreign language teachers, boosting their intercultural and communication abilities and enhancing their readiness for professional engagement. A key factor in the successful implementation of the case-study method is the careful selection and adaptation of case materials to meet students’ specific needs and to familiarize them thoroughly with real-life professional scenarios they are likely to encounter in their future activity.