Аңдатпа
Introduction: The professional development of beginning teachers remains an important concern in contemporary education systems. Although prior research has examined motivations for entering the teaching profession, limited attention has been given to the pedagogical referendariat as a structured mechanism supporting novice teachers’ transition into professional practice and the development of core pedagogical competencies, particularly from a gender-sensitive perspective. Objective: This study aims to examine beginning teachers’ perceptions of the pedagogical referendariat and its perceived contribution to professional development, with particular attention to gender-related differences. Methodology: A survey-based, non-experimental pre–post research design was employed. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire covering six competency domains. The sample consisted of 400 beginning teachers who had completed the pedagogical referendariat program in East Kazakhstan. Results: The findings indicate self-reported improvements across all examined pedagogical competency domains following participation in the program. Overall perceptions of the pedagogical referendariat were positive. Small gender-related differences were observed, with female teachers reporting slightly higher perceptions of program effectiveness. Discussion: The results suggest that the pedagogical referendariat is perceived as a meaningful form of professional support by beginning teachers. However, the findings reflect perceived changes rather than evidence of causal program effects. Conclusions: Considering gender as an analytical category provides additional insight into variation in reported experiences among beginning teachers. Given the reliance on self-reported data and the absence of a control group, the study offers context-specific, descriptive evidence from Kazakhstan that contributes to ongoing discussions on supporting beginning teachers’ professional development.