Enhancing Sociolinguistic Competence in Teaching English: Perspectives from University Students in the Journalism Field

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to identify the difficulties in mastering the language through criteria formed from the elements of sociolinguistic competence in improving the sociolinguistic competence of future journalist students based on socio-political texts, and to substantiate the fact that the linguodidactical technology “Language Portfolio” is an important tool that helps journalist students achieve high efficiency in the process of improving their sociolinguistic competence based on political and social texts. The issue of forming, developing, and improving students’ competence skills in teaching foreign languages using various methods is considered one of the complex tasks. Competence, that is, the consistency of knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as linguistic, pragmatic, discourse, strategic, and sociolinguistic competence, which are components of communicative competence, contribute to the deep acquisition of knowledge in mastering foreign languages. Developing sociolinguistic competence through teaching English to prospective journalism students requires a comprehensive approach that combines theoretical knowledge with practical skills. This includes not only learning the language but also a deep understanding of the cultural and social contexts in which the language is used. Teaching a foreign language to students studying journalism is crucial for understanding the global media landscape and for covering socio-political processes, national cultural identity, and English media representations. After all, the main goal of training in specialized areas is to be able to communicate professionally, work with specialized information, competently understand texts, and master the rules of translation.