Abstract
This research is dedicated to a comprehensive analysis of the effects of mentoring programs on the emotional well-being and professional confidence of students and teachers in the universities of the Abai region. The research framework was formed through systematic review of domestic and international scholarly literature on mentorship, psychological well-being, and professional development. Empirical research involved large-scale surveys of 1208 students and 224 teachers, as well as qualitative in-depth interviewing of program participants. The results prove that mentoring programs reduce the level of anxiety, raise motivation, reinforce professional self-efficacy, and form a stable emotional climate in students and teachers. The majority of the respondents registered increased awareness of career opportunities, higher participation in the educational process, and greater satisfaction with their professional activities. Based on the empirical material, the following practical recommendations were offered to enhance the content and structure of mentoring programs, increase the level of feedback, guarantee regular support, and facilitate conducive conditions for successful mentorship–mentee communication. The research contributes to the improvement of human capital development policy in education and can serve as a basis to scale mentoring programs to other regions of Kazakhstan and other countries.