Аннотация
Background Professional burnout among university teachers is increasingly shaped by workload, institutional support, material conditions, pedagogical autonomy, and opportunities for professional development. In higher education, teachers combine teaching, research, administrative reporting, student support, and continuous professional growth, which may intensify emotional exhaustion and mental fatigue. Objective This study aimed to identify the social and pedagogical conditions associated with overcoming professional burnout among university teachers in Kazakhstan. Methods An exploratory cross-sectional mixed-method survey was conducted with 65 university teachers working in higher education institutions in Kazakhstan. Data were collected through an anonymous trilingual Google Forms questionnaire consisting of 12 closed-ended Likert-type items and three open-ended questions. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Cronbach's alpha, and Spearman's rank correlation, while open-ended responses were examined through thematic analysis. Results Burnout was expressed mainly through emotional exhaustion, mental fatigue, workload pressure, dissatisfaction with economic and material conditions, and limited awareness of institutional burnout-prevention measures. A total of 38.5% of respondents reported emotional exhaustion often or very often, and 56.9% felt mentally drained by the end of the working day. However, 66.2% still reported professional motivation and engagement. Burnout was negatively associated with social-organizational conditions ( ρ = −0.459, p < 0.001), economic-material conditions ( ρ = −0.329, p = 0.007), professional development and prevention conditions ( ρ = −0.313, p = 0.011), and combined institutional conditions ( ρ = −0.430, p < 0.001). Qualitative findings highlighted workload, paperwork, bureaucracy, insufficient support, and financial dissatisfaction as key burnout factors. Conclusion Burnout prevention requires visible university-level mechanisms that reduce workload and paperwork, strengthen collegial and administrative support, improve material conditions, support pedagogical autonomy, and connect professional development with teachers’ psychological well-being.