Sociocultural educational environment as a factor in shaping the professional readiness of pedagogical university students for work in contemporary schools

Introduction. Student teachers’ readiness for work in contemporary schools remains a central priority in teacher education modernization. The university’s sociocultural educational environment shapes this readiness by determining the content of professional socialization and the trajectory of teacher identity development. However, empirical research on how university environment characteristics affect students’ professional readiness is limited. This study aims to identify relationships between student teachers’ perceptions of the sociocultural educational environment and the components of their professional readiness. Materials and Methods. The study drew on approaches conceptualizing the educational environment as a sociocultural space of professional growth and on theories describing the development of teachers’ professional readiness. Participants were 520 undergraduate (3rd- and 4th-year) and master’s students in pedagogical degree programmes (mean age = 22.7 years; 79.4 % female). Instruments assessed motivation for choosing teaching, perceptions of the educational environment, academic experiences, and readiness for teaching. Descriptive statistics, non-parametric tests, latent profile analysis, and hierarchical regression were applied. Results. The psychological component of professional readiness was more strongly expressed than the instrumental and moral–value components. Differences in the expression of readiness components were observed depending on education level, prior teaching experience, and professional intentions. Latent profile analysis identified two student groups with different configurations of psychological, methodological, and value-based components. Significant relationships were established between components of the sociocultural educational environment and readiness indicators. The spatial–semantic and content–methodological components of the environment, as well as personal involvement, predicted specific readiness aspects. Motivation for choosing teaching also played a significant role. Conclusion. Professional readiness is interpreted as a complex construct shaped by the interaction of individual and environmental factors. The findings highlight avenues for enhancing the sociocultural educational environment of pedagogical universities to foster the professional identity and professional readiness of future teachers.