The Development of Competency for Pre-ServiceTeachers Through Problems-Based Learning

Abstract

This research employed a quasi-experimental design with the objectives 1.To investigate the effect of Problem-Based Learning (PBL) on the competency of pre-service teachers in the Early Childhood Education program. 2.To compare the competency of pre-service teachers in the Early Childhood Education program before and after the implementation of Problem-Based Learning (PBL). The population for this study consisted of all 62 first-year pre-service teachers from the Faculty of Education, Early Childhood Education Program, who were purposively selected and enrolled in the course "Parenting and Promoting Learning for Early Childhood" in the academic year 2025. The research instruments included lesson plans designed to develop pre- service teachers' competency with an emphasis on PBL, and a  competency assessment form derived from the PBL approach. Data were analyzed using mean ( X ) and standard deviation (S.D.). The research findings revealed the following: 1) Problem-Based Learning successfully developed pre-service teachers’ competency, with students demonstrating higher competency levels after receiving instruction using the PBL approach. And 2) The competency of preservice teachers after the experiment using PBL was significantly higher than before the experiment at the . 05 level. Specifically, the post- test competency mean was at a Very High Competency Level ( X =2.60, S.D.=0.39), which was higher than the pre-test competency mean ( X =1.96, S.D.=0.42).