<p>This study examines the interrelated roles of self-efficacy, classroom management skills, engagement, reflective practices, and feedback in the professional development of pre-service science teachers, an area critical to the advancement of STEM education. Recognizing gaps in the literature, which often focuses on in-service teachers or examines these constructs in isolation, this study employs a bootstrapping approach to examine these relationships and obtain more stable estimates despite a small sample size (<i>n</i> = 29). Bootstrapping allows for the estimation of standard errors and confidence intervals, supporting the stability of findings in small-sample contexts in teacher education research where small sample sizes are common. The study’s primary objectives are to examine the associations of self-efficacy with classroom management and engagement, and the association of feedback with reflective practices within an integrated framework of pre-service teacher development. Results indicate that self-efficacy is positively associated with classroom management skills and engagement, underscoring its importance within pre-service teacher development. Additionally, constructive feedback is strongly associated with reflective practices, highlighting its importance in continuous professional growth. These findings suggest that teacher preparation programs may consider focusing on building self-efficacy, providing structured feedback, and promoting reflective practices to cultivate well-rounded, resilient educators. By using bootstrapping, this study also contributes methodologically by illustrating an analytic approach for exploring relationships in contexts with limited sample sizes. These insights offer tentative implications for enhancing teacher education curricula, informing policies on teacher development, and addressing the specific needs of pre-service science teachers in STEM education.</p>