Motivational, Cognitive, and Reflexive Components in the Development of Communicative Competence of Pre-Service Teachers in a Multilingual Education: An Experimental Study

Abstract

The study aimed to examine the effectiveness of motivational, cognitive, and reflexive components in developing communicative competence among pre-service teachers within the context of multilingual education. A total of 162 participants took part in the study, including 82 students in the experimental group and 80 in the control group. A quasi-experimental pretest–posttest design was employed. The experimental group received instruction through a specially designed elective course focused on developing communicative competence in multilingual settings, while the control group followed the standard curriculum. Data were collected using questionnaires and performance-based communicative tasks involving dialogue, monologue, public speaking, and written interaction. Statistical analysis included descriptive measures and t-tests to assess differences between groups. The results showed that students in the experimental group demonstrated significant improvement in motivational, cognitive, and reflexive components, as well as in overall communicative competence, compared to the control group. Correlation analysis revealed strong relationships among these components, with the reflexive factor exerting the greatest influence. The findings indicate that integrating motivational, cognitive, and reflexive dimensions into teacher education effectively enhances pre-service teachers’ communicative competence in multilingual educational environments.