This article develops a theoretical, methodological, and diagnostic framework for assessing social-emotional competence in pre-service English language teachers. Pedagogical studies conducted in Uzbekistan, dissertations produced within the Russian Higher Attestation Commission tradition, and English-language conceptual and psychometric research are comparatively and critically synthesized. The analysis shows that local scholarship addresses emotional stability, empathy, communication skills, and professional reflection; however, a profession-specific, multimethod, and gender-fair assessment system for pre-service EFL teachers remains insufficiently operationalized. The proposed framework comprises five criteria: cognitive-gender-reflexive, emotional-regulatory, empathic-perceptual, communicative-collaborative, and responsible-action-oriented. Each criterion is specified through five observable indicators, appropriate sources of evidence, and behavioral descriptors for high, moderate, and low proficiency. A triangulated assessment architecture combines self-report, an EFL-specific situational judgment test, microteaching observation, a reflective portfolio, and mentor/peer ratings. The article further proposes a normalized integrative index and a validation sequence encompassing expert content review, exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, internal consistency, inter-rater agreement, convergent and discriminant validity, measurement invariance across gender and year of study, and empirical standard setting. Proficiency levels are treated as evidence-based developmental profiles rather than arbitrary percentage bands. The study is theoretical and methodological; no experimental outcomes are reported.
Criteria, Indicators, And Proficiency Levels for Assessing Social-Emotional Competence in Pre-Service English Language Teachers
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