Psychological safety and well-being in Kazakh upper-secondary classrooms

A mixed-methods pilot study

Bibliographic Data

ID22165334
AuthorsNurgul Serikbayeva (Shakarim University), Galiya B Sarzhanova (0000-0002-3461-8963, Karaganda Buketov University), Galiya Sarzhanova (Karaganda National Research University named after Ye.A.Buketov), Oxana Belenko (0000-0003-3065-6054, Shakarim University), Sholpan Oryngaliyeva (Alikhan Bokeikhan University), Sholpan O Oryngaliyeva (Alikhan Bokeikhan University), Ainur Orynbekova (0000-0002-2156-1793, Shakarim University), Pakizat Rakhimgaliyeva (Semey Medical University)
Year2026
Volume11
Publication date2026-02-27
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueFrontiers in Education (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2504-284X • E-ISSN: 2504-284X
PublisherFrontiers Media SA (PUBLISHER • CH)
DOI10.3389/feduc.2026.1742756
OpenAlexW7131798745
LanguageEN
References cited20

Psychological safety—the shared belief that one can speak up, ask questions, or make mistakes without social repercussions—remains under-explored in Central-Asian secondary schools. This cross-sectional mixed-methods pilot examined psychological safety and classroom well-being among 111 Kazakh students (Grades 10–11) in four schools. Students completed a seven-item preliminarily adapted Psychological Safety Scale ( α = 0.84) and a four-item Well-Being Index ( α = 0.81); focus groups and six teacher interviews were then conducted to contextualise and interpret the survey patterns. Mean safety (M = 3.02/5) and well-being (M = 3.18/5) were moderate, and Grade 11 reported lower safety than Grade 10 ( d = 0.42). In hierarchical regression, psychological safety was positively associated with well-being, accounting for 29% of its variance ( β = 0.55, p < 0.001), while grade and gender were not significant in the full model. Thematic analysis pointed to teacher approachability, peer-respect norms, public-evaluation anxiety, and time pressure as salient classroom drivers. Overall, the findings provide preliminary evidence supporting the adapted measures’ internal consistency, establish baseline benchmarks, and highlight interaction style and assessment practices as promising targets for strengthening classroom well-being

Focus group · Kazakh · Psychological safety · Rating scale · Salient · Thematic analysis · Bullying, Victimization, and Aggression · Early Childhood Education and Development · Education, Achievement, and Giftedness

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