A Competency Reinforcement Program for Pre-Practicum Student Teachers in the Digital Age

This study aimed to (a) identify the structural components and developmental guidelines for a competency reinforcement program designed to prepare student teachers for the pedagogy practicum in the digital age, and (b) construct the program and verify its propriety and feasibility. A two-phase developmental research design was adopted. Phase 1 gathered qualitative evidence through semi-structured interviews with five key informants and a focus-group discussion with nine specialists in digital-age teacher preparation, educational psychology, and assessment; all instruments yielded Index of Item-Objective Congruence (IOC) values between 0.80 and 1.00. The data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis with investigator triangulation. Phase 2 comprised program construction and quality appraisal by the same nine specialists using a standardized evaluation form. The interview and focus-group findings converged on three competency domains consistent with the Teachers’ Council of Thailand Regulation on Professional Standards (No. 4) B.E. 2562: professional knowledge and experience, operational performance, and professional conduct. A four-tactic framework was subsequently developed, comprising training, coaching, self-paced learning, and learning exchange. Expert appraisal confirmed that the program achieved the highest ratings for both propriety (M = 4.82, SD = 0.25) and feasibility (M = 4.88, SD = 0.14). The study contributes an empirically grounded, pre-validated structural model for digital-age teacher competency development.