Need-supportive instructional leadership, basic psychological needs and teacher professional development in higher education: a multilevel study from Kazakhstan

Abstract

Quality of teaching in higher education depends on faculty development and well-being. Drawing on self-determination theory (SDT), this study examined how academic managers’ instructional leadership, operationalized as a management-cycle quality (MCQ) index, relates to faculty outcomes via basic psychological need satisfaction, with organizational culture as context. A cross-sectional study was conducted at Toraighyrov University with 100 staff across 18 departments (50% female; M_age=39.8). Measures included MCQ coding, basic psychological need satisfaction and frustration scale (BPNSFS), Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES-9), Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI), Teachers’ Sense of Efficacy Scale (TSES-12), and trait emotional intelligence (EI). Analyses involved reliability (ω≈.78–.92), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), inter-rater intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) (.76–.84), multilevel regression, and bootstrap mediation. Need satisfaction predicted higher engagement (β=.44) and lower burnout (β=−.22), while need frustration predicted higher burnout (β=.39). MCQ independently related to engagement (β=.21) and burnout (β=−.18). Teacher self-efficacy was associated with need satisfaction (β=.31) and trait EI (β=.24). Models explained substantial variance (R² up to .41). Mediation analyses showed that need satisfaction partially mediated MCQ effects on engagement, burnout, and self-efficacy. Findings indicate that need-supportive managerial behavior is a practical lever for improving motivation and well-being, with organizational culture shaping implementation. Limitations include cross-sectional design and modest sample size.