DIGITAL COMPETENCIES OF A FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHER AT A UNIVERSITY: A REGIONAL PERSPECTIVE FROM SOUTH KAZAKHSTAN

Abstract

This article analyzes the digital competencies of foreign language teachers in the context of the digital transformation of higher education in Kazakhstan, with a particular focus on the regional specifics of the country's southern region. The aim of the study is to systematize the structure of digital competencies of foreign language teachers and identify the conditions for their development in relation to universities in southern Kazakhstan. Based on an analysis of international concepts of digital competence (DigCompEdu, digital capital models), as well as the Kazakh state program "Digital Kazakhstan," and domestic research, the author proposes a classification of digital competencies of foreign language teachers. This classification includes six blocks: technical and instrumental, psychological and pedagogical, communicative, evaluative and analytical, creative and research, and artificial intelligence competencies. The specifics of developing these competencies in the context of trilingual education and uneven infrastructure are separately considered. It is shown that the level of digital competence of a teacher determines their role in the academic development of a university—from an "innovator" to a teacher reserved for change. It is concluded that institutional support is needed for the continuous professional development of foreign language teachers in the digital environment of regional universities.