Teacher appraisal in Kazakhstani secondary schools: between professional learning and accountability

Teacher appraisal is increasingly used worldwide to strengthen educational accountability and improve teacher quality. In Kazakhstan, recent reforms have institutionalized appraisal as a high-stakes certification process linked to salary revision and professional status. While existing literature reports tensions between accountability and professional learning, it has paid less attention to how teachers in centralized systems interpret and enact appraisal. Drawing on a qualitative case study in a mainstream secondary school in Kazakhstan, this study examines teachers’ and school leaders’ perceptions of appraisal and its influence on professional learning through adult learning theory. Interviews, observations, and document analysis reveal that appraisal operates as a hybrid mechanism combining developmental, accountability-driven, and career-oriented purposes. Teachers exercise agency by transforming appraisal requirements into self-directed learning opportunities, while performative pressures encourage documentation and competition. This study shows that professional learning can emerge within neoliberal accountability structures and informs appraisal design that supports sustained teacher development.