Abstract
This multi-stage evaluation examines changes in physics teachers’ self-assessed STEM competencies following a university-based professional development intervention in Kazakhstan. The study included a diagnostic needs survey (N = 164), course participation by 46 teachers, and complete paired pre-test/post-test data from 25 teachers, who also completed a practice-focused follow-up during the subsequent academic year. At baseline, 63.4% of respondents reported limited STEM understanding and 28.0% reported no familiarity. In the paired subsample, overall self-assessed STEM competence increased from M = 2.18 (SD = 0.71) to M = 4.22 (SD = 0.58), t(24) = -13.78, p < .001. Significant gains were observed in STEM knowledge, lesson planning, interdisciplinary task design, project-based learning, and digital-tool use. During follow-up, all 25 respondents reported implementing STEM projects, averaging 4.2 projects each; satisfaction was M = 4.36 (SD = 0.70), and 92% would recommend the course. These findings indicate substantial perceived professional growth and reported classroom transfer, but they do not establish causal effects because the study used convenience sampling, self-report measures, and no comparison group.