Project Reflection and Digital Pedagogical Self-Ratings in Teacher Education

Preparing teachers for adaptable digital pedagogy requires distinguishing practice, capability, and reflection. This exploratory, non-preregistered cross-sectional study linked questionnaire and administrative records from 150 teacher education students in four courses, comprising 82 independent individual project units and 28 collaborative teams. Course-adjusted models used inference clustered by administrative project unit. Perceived design/support was associated with project-specific reflection (β = 0.256, 95% CI [0.118, 0.393]; n = 149). Project reflection accounted for additional variation in the mixed digital practice/capability index (β = 0.268, 95% CI [0.075, 0.462]; n = 122; ΔR2 = 0.044); the estimate increased with adjustment for reported experience. In 114 common cases, a post hoc diagnostic showed a positive association with practice-worded ratings (β = 0.306, 95% CI [0.114, 0.497]). Capability-worded ratings were less precise; the diagnostic did not establish different associations or validate separate scales. Linked written accounts distinguished anticipated resource reuse, personal study use, and rejection of classroom technology. Teamwork, future use, and administrative score analyses provided limited additional support. The findings describe conditional self-report associations relevant to questions about reasoned future adaptation. They do not isolate perceived capability or demonstrate competence development, sustained use, or environmental sustainability.