PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCE OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHERS IN THE CONTEXT OF DIGITAL PEDAGOGY: A THEORETICAL AND PRACTICAL ANALYSIS

The ongoing digital transformation of education has substantially redefined the professional profile of English language teachers, expanding competence requirements beyond traditional pedagogical and linguistic expertise. Contemporary educators are expected to design technology-mediated learning environments, critically evaluate digital resources, ensure ethical and responsible use of data and artificial intelligence tools, and engage in continuous reflective professional development. This study provides a theoretical and practical analysis of professional competence in digital pedagogy within English language teaching. Using a scoping review methodology guided by PRISMA-ScR principles, peer-reviewed studies from high-impact international journals were systematically analyzed to identify dominant conceptual frameworks, recurring competence domains, and pedagogical implications for teacher education. The findings reveal convergence across the literature around five interrelated domains of professional competence: pedagogical-technological design knowledge (TPACK-informed), digital assessment literacy, interactional and multimodal communication competence, ethical and critical digital literacy including AI awareness, and reflective adaptive expertise supported by institutional culture. Based on the synthesis, the article proposes an integrative competence model that conceptualizes digital professional competence as a dynamic and developmental construct rather than a static set of technical skills. The study also outlines practical implications for curriculum design, teacher training, and continuing professional development, emphasizing the importance of systematic integration of digital pedagogy into teacher education programs. The results contribute to the growing body of research on competency-based teacher education and provide a theoretical foundation for future empirical validation of digital competence frameworks in English language teacher preparation.