Enhancing STEM preservice teachers’ interdisciplinary teaching competence and instructional design innovation ability through cognitive conflict in community of practice

Purpose Preservice teachers (PSTs) often face challenges in STEM teaching, including cognitive conservatism, limited collaboration experience and weak innovation capacity. To address this, based on cognitive conflict and collaborative innovation theories, this study aims to propose the Cognitive Conflict in Community of Practice (CCCP), following an “Activation-Reinforcement-Diversification” pathway. Anchored in a university–school–enterprise collaboration, the model aims to explore effective support mechanisms and assess its impact on STEM PSTs’ Interdisciplinary Teaching Competence (ITC) and innovative design ability. Design/methodology/approach A mixed-methods approach was used, combining quasi-experimental design and qualitative analysis. Centered on the CCCP, interdisciplinary teaching practices were implemented to assess its impact. Questionnaires measured ITC improvement between experimental and control groups, while interviews and textual analysis explored the development of instructional design innovation. Findings The model significantly improved PSTs’ ITC and fostered innovative awareness in a STEM course, facilitating a shift from idealized to practical design. It also promoted cognitive interaction and professional growth among in-service teachers, supporting a mutually empowering development pathway. Originality/value This study presents an innovative integration of cognitive conflict theory and multidimensional collaboration, offering a practical and scalable framework for interdisciplinary teacher education. It contributes to the theoretical understanding of cognitive conflict transformation in pedagogical contexts and provides actionable guidance for PSTs course reform.