Impact of Adapted Turkish Pedagogical Training on Practical Competence Development of Biology Teachers: Case of Kazakhstan

The development of practical competence is an important component of biology teacher education, particularly in laboratory, field, and animal-related studies. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of adapting selected practice-oriented pedagogical approaches identified during a research internship at Hacettepe University (Turkey) for developing the practical competence of biology students in Kazakhstan. A mixed-methods research design was employed. The Turkish stage included analysis of scientific and methodological literature from the Hacettepe University Library, a structured questionnaire survey of 25 undergraduate students, student interviews, classroom observations and examination of laboratory-, research- and field-oriented teaching practices. These activities, together with the findings of our previous studies, were used to identify instructional elements suitable for adaptation. Selected approaches, including laboratory and experimental learning, applied animal-biology tasks, collaborative learning, digital visualization, virtual laboratories and research-oriented instruction, were integrated with an author-developed electronic learning resource. The adapted approach was tested during a semester-long pedagogical experiment at Abai Kazakh National Pedagogical University involving an experimental group (n = 42) and a control group (n = 35). The experimental group received practice-oriented instruction, while the control group studied through conventional teaching methods. Subsequently, the developed lesson plans and didactic materials were incorporated into an approved 80-hour professional development course completed by 25 school and university teachers from different regions, who provided feedback on their applicability in real biology teaching practice. The findings support the effectiveness of adapting practice-oriented pedagogical approaches for strengthening practical competence in biology teacher education in Kazakhstan.