SOCIO-CULTURAL COMPETENCY AS AN ELEMENT
OF FUTURE ENGINEERS’ PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCE 

Strunina Natal'ya Vyacheslavovna, Senior lecturer, sub-department of English language, Penza State University (40 Krasnaya street, Penza, Russia), natstrunina@mail.ru 

378.007.3 

Background. Currently, the economic society is experiencing high demand for qualified professionals with higher education capable to communicate by means of a foreign language. The formed sociocultural competency allows graduates to ensure the successful activities in society. The purpose of the work is to describe the elements of professional competence and to consider possibilities of the subject «Foreign language» to form the future engineers’ socio-cultural competency.
Materials and methods. Realization of research objectives was achieved through the usage of such theoretical methods of investigation as analysis, comparison and synthesis. The methodological basis of the research included the concept of competency-based approach, the communicative approach in teaching foreign languages, as well as student-centered approach.
Results. The genesis of the terms «competency» and «competence» was expounded, and various interpretations of the given categories within the bounds of sociology, pedagogy, linguistics, psychology were analyzed. Means of socio-cultural competency development in teaching foreign language to engineers at higher school were investigated.
Conclusions. Forming socio-cultural competency as an element of professional competence is based on the specific content of teaching foreign language to engineers at higher school. Investigation of competence forming resources allows to determine new directions of subsequent study of the scientific problem under consideration. 

competency, competence, competence-based approach, professional competence, social and cultural competency. 

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