Published Paper Details:

This systematic review examines the extent to which integrated teacher education programs assist pre-service teachers in gaining 21st-century competencies. Synonyms such as "Integrated teacher education," "21st-century skills," and "Pre-service teachers" were employed in an extensive search of academic databases, such as ERIC, Scopus, and Web of Science. Studies that examined programs that integrated theoretical and practical training, prioritized critical thinking, collaboration, and problem-solving, and engaged pre-service teachers were included for review. Studies with results that could not be measured or were not empirical were excluded according to some specifications. 25 peer-reviewed articles published between 2010 and 2024 were selected from an initial total of 1,342 records according to methodological quality and importance. Program structure, skill outcomes, and research design dominated the issues for data extraction. The findings indicate that combined teacher education programs highly enhance pre-service teachers' critical thinking (as evidenced in 80% of the studies), teamwork (76%), and problem-solving skills (68%). Programs that were able to integrate coursework and fieldwork obtained the best results. The strongest evidence came from quantitative and mixed-methods studies, but qualitative studies provided valuable contextual background too. The robustness and generalizability of findings, though, were compromised by the presence of small sample sizes, imbalanced evaluation instruments, and multiple implementation models. There is limited evaluation of long-term effects in that 40% of the studies used longitudinal designs. In general, this review demonstrates how integrated teacher education programs can facilitate pre-service teachers' acquisition of critical 21st-century skills. To enhance evidence-based reform of teacher education policy and practice, it also calls for additional research using standardized measures, larger sample sizes, and long-term assessment.