Distance education in Kazakhstan: Enhancing digital proficiency through online teaching communities

Saule Polatova
Miras University, Kazakhstan
Ainash Alzhanova
L. N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University, Kazakhstan
Gulzina Uteeva and Dildar Kistaubaeva
Miras University, Kazakhstan

This study examines the effects of distance learning on teaching practices and digital skills of future teachers of English, using data from the Kazakhstan Online Teacher Community (OTC) training program. The program emphasises the importance of using digital tools and resources to improve teaching and engagement of learners. The present study was conducted in a private University "Miras" to investigate digital literacy and teaching growth among pre-service English teachers who were fourth year students in the "Foreign Language: Two Foreign Languages" specialisation. Data were collected from 18 student participants, using a researcher-made questionnaire designed to investigate the students' digital proficiency in various settings, and a focus group interview to obtain supplementary qualitative data. The findings from our study provide insights into the challenges and opportunities of digital transformation in education for a middle-income economy such as Kazakhstan's.
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Authors: Dr Saule Polatova (corresponding author) attained her PhD in pedagogy and psychology. She is a senior teacher in the Foreign languages Department at Miras University, Kazakhstan. Her research interests are distance education, multilingual education, innovative technologies. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0017-0232 Email: saulepolatova@gmail.com Dr Ainash Alzhanova holds a PhD in pedagogy. She is a senior teacher in the Department of Foreign languages at L. N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University, Astana, Kazakhstan. Her research interests are multilingual education, communicative competence, critical thinking, distance education, innovative technologies. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-2219-013X Email: alzhai2017@gmail.com Ms Gulzina Uteeva obtained her MA in pedagogy and psychology. She is a senior lecturer in the Pedagogy and Psychology Department at Miras University, Kazakhstan. Her research interests include innovative technologies in education, psychology of communication, critical and creative thinking in teaching. Email: gulzi.90_90@mail.ru Ms Dildar Kistaubaeva is a candidate in philological sciences at the Kazakh Language and Literature Department, Miras University, Kazakhstan. Her research interests include national-cultural specificity of somatological characteristics in the consciousness of Russian and Kazakh languages. Email: dilya_kistaubaeva@mail.ru Please cite as: Polatova, S., Alzhanova, A., Uteeva, G. & Kistaubaeva, D. (2025). Distance education in Kazakhstan: Enhancing digital proficiency through online teaching communities. Issues in Educational Research, 35(1), 276-297. http://www.iier.org.au/iier35/polatova.pdf