<![CDATA[This study addresses the problem of preparing prospective chemistry teachers for the cognitive requirements of TIMSS and, through this preparation, developing their natural science literacy. The objective was to design and empirically test a methodology for developing natural science literacy in prospective chemistry teachers based on TIMSS-type tasks. A quasi-experimental design with control and experimental groups was applied at three Uzbek higher education institutions (Navoiy State University, Urganch State Pedagogical Institute and Termez State Pedagogical Institute) during 2023-2026, involving 434 second- and third-year chemistry-major students. Experimental groups studied Inorganic Chemistry, Organic Chemistry and Methods of Teaching Chemistry through graphic-design, context-based tasks aligned with the TIMSS cognitive domains of knowing, applying and reasoning, while control groups received traditional instruction. Reliability of the differences was verified using Pearson's chi-square criterion. Observed values (8.72-9.36, mean 9.13) exceeded the critical value (7.815, p=0.05, df=2) at all institutions, confirming statistical significance. Experimental groups achieved 16.8% higher overall performance than control groups. It is concluded that systematic integration of TIMSS-type context tasks into chemistry teacher training curricula effectively develops natural science literacy, and corresponding recommendations for curriculum design and teacher-training modules are proposed.]]>
