Perceived Research Competence Among Master’s Students in Pre-Service Teacher Education Programmes

This paper investigates the perceived research competence of students at the beginning of their master’s studies in pre-service teacher education programmes at various higher education institutions in Slovenia. Addressing the absence of suitable measurement tools, we developed and validated a Slovenian-language instrument specifically designed to assess research competence among pre-service teachers. Using this instrument, we were able to compare the perceptions of master’s students with a prior bachelor’s degree in education to those without such a degree. The results show that master’s students perceive strong abilities in formulating research objectives, hypotheses and theoretical substantiation, but lack confidence in statistical procedures and using statistical analysis tools such as SPSS. They also feel unprepared to assess the validity and reliability of data collection instruments and to conduct action research. Furthermore, students without a bachelor’s degree in education perceive better knowledge in research areas and exhibit higher confidence in most statistical and methodological aspects. On the other hand, students with a bachelor’s degree in education demonstrate greater confidence in specialised areas such as statistical procedures and action research, and hold more positive attitudes towards the practical application of research in educational settings. Based on these findings, the paper suggests enhancing hands-on research experiences and fostering a supportive community to improve engagement, confidence and research competence among pre-service teachers.