Designing a Project-Based Training Model for Enhancing Pedagogical Competence of Prospective Elementary Teachers Through Interactive Media Development

Abstract

This study was motivated by the limited skills of prospective elementary school teachers in designing interactive instructional media due to minimal practical experience and the lack of systematic guidelines. The research aimed to develop and examine the effectiveness of a project-based training model supported by Flip PDF, using a sequential mixed-methods design. The study involved 60 participants from two teacher education institutions in two countries: Indonesia (32 participants) and Uzbekistan (28 participants). Data were collected through in-depth interviews, classroom observations, questionnaires, pre- and post-tests, and product assessments, and then analyzed using content analysis for qualitative data and paired sample t-tests for quantitative data. The qualitative findings revealed five main themes: the need for systematic technical guidance, positive perceptions of digital media, limited technological mastery, the importance of collaboration and feedback, and expectations for ready to use products. These findings informed the development of a six-stage training model, under the acronym CREATE (Conceptualize, Research, Execute, Assess, Transform, Evaluate), encompassing idea formulation, reference exploration, prototype development, rubric-based assessment, revision through feedback, and final evaluation. Quantitative results showed a significant improvement in pedagogical competence: pretest scores in Indonesia increased from 54.59 to 82.78 (t = 81.427; p < 0.05), while Uzbekistan increased from 53.54 to 80.50 (t = 73.785; p < 0.05). Product assessments yielded scores of 3.35 (Indonesia) and 3.34 (Uzbekistan), while model acceptance surveys achieved 3.54 (Indonesia) and 3.49 (Uzbekistan), all categorized as Excellent. The CREATE model proved to be effective, systematic, and innovative in enhancing skills for designing interactive instructional media and is deemed feasible for adoption in twenty first century teacher education.