INDIVIDUAL AND COLLABORATIVE LEARNING MECHANISMS FOR DEVELOPING FUTURE TEACHERS' PROFESSIONAL QUALITIES IN A DIGITAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

The development of future teachers’ professional qualities in a digital learning environment remains insufficiently explained in terms of combining individualized learning pathways with group interaction. This study aimed to compare the influence of individual and collaborative learning mechanisms on the development of professional qualities. A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design comprised three stages: a diagnostic pretest, a formative intervention, and a control posttest. In total, N = 120 participants were assigned to three groups: 40 in the individual learning group, 40 in the collaborative learning group, and 40 in the control group; the analyzed group size was recorded as N = 40 for the annotation. Professional qualities were measured with a point-based instrument using descriptive statistics, Cronbach’s alpha, and analysis of variance, while the between-group effect was expressed through the Cohen d formula. At pretest, the mean score was M = 55.1, SD = 6.4, with a range of 42–68, and the groups were initially comparable (p = 0.403). At posttest, the score reached M = 70.8, SD = 8.7, with a range of 51–89, and the principal between-group difference was statistically significant (p < 0.001). The scientific contribution lies in linking individual and collaborative mechanisms within a unified digital pedagogical model and demonstrating their relationship with professional qualities through a three-stage experiment; further research should examine whether the gains persist during supervised teaching practice.