The purpose of the given quantitative study is to examine the relationship between teachers’ occupational well-being and their intentions to leave the profession in secondary schools in Kazakhstan. Furthermore, the study aims to identify the factors that contribute to teachers' occupational well-being, providing insights for policymakers and school administrators to address these issues worlwide.

The study is guided by the following research questions:

1. What are the self-reported levels of occupational well-being of secondary education teachers in Kazakhstan? This question seeks to explore teachers’ satisfaction with their well-being across various dimensions, offering an understanding of their overall state.
2. What are the teacher-level and school-level factors contributing to teachers’ occupational well-being? This question investigates specific factors, such as demographic variables, school climate, colleague support, leadership styles, and stakeholder participation, that influence teacher well-being.
3. What is the relationship between teacher occupational well-being and teacher turnover intentions? This question examines the link between teachers’ well-being and their intentions to either change schools or leave the teaching profession altogether.

The theoretical framework for this study draws on the multidimensional concept of occupational well-being, as outlined by Viac and Fraser (2020). Occupational well-being is represented through four main dimensions:

• Cognitive well-being: Teachers’ perceptions of their professional competence and intellectual engagement.
• Subjective well-being: Their overall sense of happiness and life satisfaction.
• Physical and mental well-being: Their health, including stress and burnout levels.
• Social well-being: Their relationships and interactions within the school community.

The framework integrates insights from existing literature, identifying factors that influence teacher well-being, including demographic variables (e.g., gender, age, educational background), teacher-level factors (e.g., school climate, colleague support), and school-level factors (e.g., leadership style, stakeholder participation). Additionally, the relationship between teacher well-being and turnover intentions is explored, emphasizing the potential outcomes of well-being deficits, such as increased stress, reduced job satisfaction, and higher turnover rates.

The significance of studying teacher well-being lies in its far-reaching implications for education quality, student performance, and the school community. First, as Räsänen et al. (2020) point out, teacher turnover can have a detrimental impact on education quality, leading to declines in student performance and behavior. Similar findings in Kazakhstan (MoES, 2019) highlight the urgency of addressing teacher turnover by improving well-being and job satisfaction. Policymakers all over the world can use these findings to design targeted initiatives and programs that promote teacher retention and enhance school performance.

Second, teacher well-being has a direct impact on students’ health and well-being. Research by Oberle and Shonert-Reichle (2016) demonstrates that teacher burnout affects students’ physiological stress regulation, with higher levels of teacher burnout correlating with increased cortisol production in students. This underscores the broader societal relevance of ensuring teacher well-being for the benefit of both educators and students.

Finally, there is a scarcity of research on teacher well-being in Kazakhstan, which this study seeks to address. By filling this knowledge gap, the study contributes to the international body of research on education and provides a foundation for future studies in similar contexts.

This study employed a non-experimental cross-sectional correlational research design to investigate the relationship between teacher occupational well-being and turnover intentions in secondary schools in Kazakhstan. The methodology was designed to achieve three objectives: assessing teachers’ self-reported well-being levels, identifying factors influencing their well-being, and examining the relationship between well-being and turnover intentions. The study utilized secondary data from the 2018 Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS), a comprehensive global initiative by the OECD aimed at gathering internationally comparable data on teachers, school leaders, and educational environments. TALIS 2018 data were collected in Kazakhstan between February 26 and May 31, 2018, involving a representative sample of 6,566 secondary teachers and 331 school principals across sixteen regions. The stratified two-stage probability sampling method ensured the inclusion of diverse schools and teachers. For data analysis, the TALIS dataset was examined using the jamovi 2.3.21 software. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted to validate the factor structure of the well-being measure and ensure the robustness of the data representation. Reliability analysis, using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient, was also performed to evaluate the internal consistency of the well-being scores. To address the first research question, descriptive statistics, including mean, standard deviation, and skewness, were calculated to describe the distribution of self-reported well-being levels among teachers. These statistics provided a clear overview of well-being trends across the sample of 5,455 participants. To investigate the second research question regarding the influence of teacher-level and school-level factors on well-being, multiple linear regression analysis was utilized. This approach allowed for assessing the relative contributions of various independent variables, such as demographic characteristics, school climate, and professional collaboration, in predicting well-being outcomes. For the third research question, the relationship between teacher well-being and turnover intentions was examined using correlation and simple linear regression analysis. This involved analyzing the association between teacher well-being and turnover intentions. The simplicity of this approach provided clear insights into the predictive relationship between these variables. Overall, the robust design of the study, combined with the use of TALIS 2018 data, CFA, and statistical analyses, ensured the reliability and validity of findings, contributing to a deeper understanding of the factors influencing teacher well-being and its implications for turnover intentions.

The study highlights significant challenges to teacher well-being in Kazakhstan, particularly concerning mental health, with stress being common concerns among teachers. Female teachers exhibited lower well-being levels, possibly due to societal roles and workplace discrimination (Omirkhanova, 2023). Similarly, mid-career teachers, particularly those aged 40-49, reported the lowest levels of well-being, while younger and older teachers experienced higher levels. Teachers with advanced qualifications, such as doctoral degrees, also faced lower well-being, often attributed to societal undervaluation of the teaching profession and insufficient compensation. These findings underscore the pressing need to address the systemic factors affecting teacher well-being in Kazakhstan. Teacher-level factors, including school climate and professional collaboration, were found to significantly influence well-being. A positive school climate, characterized by strong teacher-student interactions, not only enhances teacher well-being but also improves student academic performance. Professional collaboration fosters peer support and strengthens relationships among colleagues, which contributes to improved well-being. However, school-level factors such as leadership style and parental involvement showed no significant impact on teacher well-being in Kazakhstan. This may stem from hierarchical leadership structures and unclear parental roles, which limit their influence. Schools are encouraged to adopt more inclusive leadership styles, such as participatory decision-making, through targeted training for administrators. Teacher well-being is critical to addressing teacher retention and migration. Higher well-being reduces turnover intentions, while stress and burnout contribute to attrition and migration. Internationally, studies demonstrate similar trends, emphasizing the need for proactive measures like continuous professional development programs to help teachers manage stress and enhance personal well-being (Chang et al., 2017; Grant et al., 2019; Heffernan et al., 2022; Liu, 2020). Early identification of stress through surveys and interventions is essential to prevent teacher turnover. These findings have global implications, underscoring the universal importance of prioritizing teacher well-being to ensure a stable and effective education workforce across diverse contexts.

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