Abstract
This study aimed to describe the profile of professional collaboration among students in teacher-education programmes and to examine whether readiness for further collaboration is associated with prior experience. The work was conducted within a university grant of Abai Kazakh National Pedagogical University and implemented as a descriptive–comparative study based on a posttest cross-sectional snapshot with no baseline measurement. Data were collected via Google Forms from 91 students of the Department of Primary Education (Years 1–4). The questionnaire covered collaboration experience (yes/no), frequency of participation in joint projects, perceived value of collaboration (1–5), perceived impact on the learning experience, readiness to participate in joint research/projects in the future (1–5), and open-ended questions on motivations, barriers, and expected university support. Prior collaboration experience was reported by 40.7% of respondents; participation was predominantly irregular (48.4% “never”, 44.0% “rarely”). Perceived value was high (M = 4.05, SD = 1.15; Me = 4), and most respondents reported a positive contribution to their learning experience (75.8%). Readiness for future participation was moderately high (levels 4–5: 52.7%). A Mann–Whitney test indicated higher readiness among students with prior collaboration experience (U = 1288, p = 0.016, r = 0.29). Thematic grouping of open-ended responses showed that knowledge sharing and mutual support were the dominant motivations, while organisational/time and communication barriers were most frequently mentioned; the most commonly requested support measures included regular joint events and support for student communities. Findings are interpreted as a descriptive snapshot rather than causal evidence. The results may inform the design of facilitated collaboration formats and subsequent monitoring of student readiness.