COMPETENCY-BASED TRAINING OF FUTURE SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHERS IN IMPLEMENTING DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION FOR STUDENTS WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES

Abstract

The growing demand for inclusive education worldwide has intensified the need for rigorously prepared special education teachers capable of implementing research-based differentiated instruction strategies for students with intellectual disabilities (ID). This article investigates the pedagogical and methodological foundations required to develop competency-based training programs for future oligophrenopedagogists — specialists in the education of children with intellectual impairments. Drawing on a mixed-methods study conducted at Fergana State University (Uzbekistan) involving 124 pre-service special education students across three academic years (2022–2025), the research identifies core professional competencies, evaluates the effectiveness of simulation-based and field-practicum pedagogical approaches, and proposes an integrated competency framework. Findings demonstrate that structured practice-oriented training incorporating Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles, zone of proximal development (ZPD) scaffolding, and data-driven grouping strategies significantly enhances pre-service teachers' readiness to deliver differentiated instruction. The article contributes to both the theoretical discourse on teacher preparation and practical curriculum design for inclusive special education contexts, with relevance to the broader Central Asian and international educational reform agenda