Competence-based approach in developing professional readiness of applied bachelors in teacher education

Introduction Contemporary teacher education increasingly conceptualizes professional readiness as an integrated system rather than a sum of discrete knowledge, skills, and dispositions. In Kazakhstan, however, the formal adoption of competency-based standards has not fully resolved the gap between methodological declarations and practice-oriented bachelor training. This study aims to theoretically refine and empirically examine a competency-based methodology designed to strengthen future teachers' professional readiness and to clarify the internal mechanisms governing its development. Methods A sequential mixed-methods design was employed. The qualitative phase included expert assessment, document analysis, and structured observation to specify the construct and its indicators. The quantitative phase used a pretest–posttest nonequivalent-groups quasi-experimental design with control and experimental groups. The Competency-Based Professional Readiness Scale was used to assess four components of readiness: cognitive, activity–practical, communicative, and reflective–value. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to test the structural validity of the model. Results The findings indicate statistically significant, predominantly moderate improvements associated with the intervention, with comparatively stronger gains in the communicative and reflective–value components. Structural modelling supported the coherence of the four-component system, while qualitative evidence indicated that reflective self-assessment, peer feedback, and practice-oriented tasks mediated the translation of theoretical knowledge into professional action. Discussion The study reconceptualizes professional readiness as a value-regulated multidimensional system in which the reflective–value component performs a coordinating function. The proposed model offers a diagnostically grounded framework for applied bachelor programmes in teacher education, while the quasi-experimental design requires cautious interpretation of the findings as intervention-associated rather than strictly causal.