IMPLEMENTATION OF THE FORMATIVE EXPERIMENT FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF READINESS OF A FUTURE TEACHER OF THE NATURAL SCIENCE EDUCATIONAL FIELD

Abstract

Introduction. The contemporary system of training future teachers of the natural science educational field is undergoing a modernization phase, driven by the implementation of the New Ukrainian School (NUS) reform, the transition to competence-based standards, and the expanded use of innovative technologies. At the same time, a gap persists in pedagogical education practice between the demands of a teacher's professional activity and their actual readiness to integrate STEM approaches, digital resources, and research methods. This necessitates the experimental substantiation of pedagogical conditions for shaping the professional competence of future educators. Purpose. The goal of the research is the theoretical substantiation and experimental verification of the effectiveness of a structural-functional model for shaping the readiness of future natural science teachers for professional activity in a transforming educational environment. Methods. The methodological basis comprised a complex of general scientific and special methods: analysis of scientific sources and educational programs, pedagogical observation, diagnostic techniques (testing, surveying, expert evaluation, self-assessment), a pedagogical experiment with propaedeutic, formative, and control stages, as well as methods of statistical processing of results, particularly the Mann-Whitney U-test. Results. The content of the educational process included innovative and interactive forms of instruction-research tasks, case method, training sessions, work with digital platforms, STEM projects, and virtual laboratories. The results obtained demonstrated a significant increase in the level of cognitive development, motivational orientation, professional-activity, and reflective skills of students in the experimental group compared to the control group. Originality. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the comprehensive testing of the author's structuralfunctional model for shaping the readiness of future natural science teachers, as well as in substantiating the effectiveness of integrating teaching and methodological guides (“STEM Technologies in Natural Sciences Teaching”, “Modern Methodological Approaches in Natural Sciences Teaching”, “Electronic Educational Resources in Natural Sciences Teaching”) into the content of professional training. It is proven that their use ensures the development of the cognitive, motivational, activity-based, socio-cultural, and reflexive-adaptive components of readiness. Conclusion. The results of the formative experiment confirmed the expediency of implementing the developed professional training model, which promotes the integration of traditional and modern educational practices and shapes the future teachers' capacity for innovative activity in the field of natural science education. Promising directions for further research include the systemic implementation of new disciplines, the expanded use of digital and research technologies, and the refinement of criteria for assessing the level of professional readiness of students.