This paper presents a comparative determination of rare earth elements (REEs) in sandstone-type uranium ore samples from Kazakhstan using a proposed rapid ICP-MS method following microwave digestion in a MARS 6 system with a mixed acid solution of HNO₃, HCl, and HF. To validate the rapid REE determination method, comparative measurements were performed using a certified uranium ore reference material provided by Ore Research & Exploration, representing sandstone-hosted uranium mineralization from a Tanzanian deposit (OREAS 120). Fractionation patterns of chondrite-normalized REEs in uranium ores from Kazakhstan were evaluated. Comparative data on REE distribution in sandstone- and magmatic-type uranium deposits from Australia and Tanzania are presented. Uranium ores of magmatic- and sandstone-hosted types exhibit distinct REE distribution patterns, reflecting differences in the nature of ore-forming processes. This study provides chondrite-normalized REE distribution profiles for major uranium deposit types from three countries, which are subsequently used to assess uranium ore paragenesis through simple linear regression analysis. This study is intended as an applied comparative synthesis of REE fractionation patterns in genetically contrasting uranium deposits, with particular relevance to deposit classification.

Laboratory courses in chemistry teacher education are commonly framed as spaces for mastering experimental procedures; however, they may also function as pedagogical environments where pre-service teachers begin integrating content knowledge (CK) with pedagogical knowledge (PK). Rather than measuring Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) as an outcome, this comparative study examines how laboratory structures create opportunities for CK–PK integration and PCK-related reasoning in chemistry teacher education programs in Kazakhstan and Türkiye. A qualitative comparative case study design was employed. Data were collected through 60 h of in situ observations and semi-structured interviews with 46 third-year pre-service chemistry teachers at two public universities. The analysis focused on how laboratory organization, instructional facilitation, time allocation, assessment, and material resources shape conditions for analytical and reflective engagement. Findings identify four interrelated dimensions of laboratory affordances: structural organization, pedagogical facilitation, experiential engagement, and reflective regulation. Extended laboratory sessions and dedicated laboratory credits in the Turkish case supported sustained inquiry and reflection, whereas shorter, combined lecture–laboratory formats in the Kazakhstani case constrained extended pedagogical reasoning. The proposed Laboratory Affordance Model highlights how laboratory design influences early-stage PCK-related reasoning, offering implications for curriculum design and chemistry teacher education policy.

Feedback is increasingly conceptualised as a dialogic and socio-culturally embedded process; however, little is known about how feedback practices operate across structural levels in laboratory-based higher education contexts. This study investigates how feedback is enacted across micro-, meso-, and macro-level dimensions of feedback culture in undergraduate chemistry laboratory courses within a Kazakhstani university. A qualitative case study design was employed, combining naturalistic classroom observations and semi-structured interviews. Data were collected from three laboratory instructors and 40 undergraduate students across twelve observed laboratory sessions (approximately 24 contact hours), supplemented by interviews with 3 instructors and 3 students. Observation and interview data were analysed using a hybrid deductive–inductive thematic approach guided by feedback literacy frameworks. Findings indicate that feedback was frequent but predominantly enacted at the micro level as immediate procedural correction supporting task completion and laboratory safety. Meso-level feedback processes such as reflection, feedforward, and continuity across sessions were weakly structured, while macro-level structural support for feedback was limited. These cross-level conditions produced a stable configuration conceptualised as procedural feedback lock-in, whereby corrective feedback becomes normalised despite pedagogical intentions toward developmental learning. The study contributes to feedback culture scholarship by extending feedback literacy research into laboratory-based STEM education and offering analytically transferable insights for strengthening feedback design in practice-intensive higher education environments.