From Reflection to Practice: The Impact of Pedagogical Coaching on Pre-Service Primary Teachers’ Professional Competence

Abstract

The professional preparation of primary school teachers requires not only pedagogical knowledge but also reflective thinking, professional autonomy, and the ability to make independent instructional decisions. Pedagogical coaching offers a promising approach to developing these competencies through goal setting, reflective dialogue, practice, and feedback. This study examined the effectiveness of a pedagogical coaching-based methodology for developing the professional competence of pre-service primary school teachers. A multi-site pretest–posttest study was conducted at three pedagogical higher education institutions in Uzbekistan with 474 students, including 235 participants in the experimental groups and 239 in the control groups. The intervention integrated the GROW model, SMART goal setting, reflective coaching, microteaching, peer coaching, and constructive feedback. Professional competence was assessed according to motivational-value, reflective-analytical, and practice-oriented criteria. Following the intervention, the proportion of students demonstrating a high level of professional competence in the experimental group increased from 11.1% to 24.3%, while the low-level proportion decreased from 59.6% to 32.3%. Statistical analysis confirmed a significant posttest difference between the experimental and control groups (t = 5.71, p < .001). The findings indicate that pedagogical coaching can effectively support the development of professional competence among pre-service primary school teachers.