ENHANCING ENVIRONMENTAL COMPETENCIES OF PRE-SERVICE PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS THROUGH CASE-BASED LEARNING: EVIDENCE FROM TEACHER EDUCATION IN UZBEKISTAN

The development of environmental competencies among future teachers has become an essential priority in modern pedagogical education, particularly in the context of sustainable development, climate change, and increasing ecological challenges. This article examines the improvement of environmental competencies in the process of preparing pre-service primary school teachers in Uzbekistan. The study is based on the need to integrate ecological content into professional teacher education and to apply practice-oriented pedagogical technologies, including case-based learning and ecological exercises. The purpose of the study is to substantiate and evaluate a pedagogical model aimed at improving environmental competencies among future primary school teachers. The research is grounded in competence-based, systemic, activity-based, personality-oriented, interdisciplinary, and practice-oriented approaches. The study uses theoretical analysis, observation, questionnaires, testing, analysis of students’ learning products, and pedagogical experiment. The proposed model includes value-motivational, cognitive, activity-practical, and reflective components of environmental competence. It also incorporates ecological case tasks, pedagogical situations, project assignments, and methodological exercises related to primary education. The findings indicate that the systematic integration of ecological content into professional disciplines contributes to the development of students’ ecological thinking, environmental culture, methodological readiness, and ability to organize environmental education for primary school pupils. The article concludes that case-based learning is an effective pedagogical tool for improving environmental competencies in teacher education. The proposed model may be used in pedagogical universities to modernize curricula, strengthen practice-oriented training, and prepare future teachers for environmental education and upbringing in primary schools.