S.A. Itegulova, studying Kazakh folklore, works on the issue of forming national values among the younger generation. In 1995, she graduated with honors from the Faculty of Kazakh Philology of Aktobe Pedagogical Institute named after K. Zhubanov and began her professional career as a lecturer at the Department of Kazakh Literature of this institution. In 2002, she defended her Candidate’s dissertation in the Institute of Literature and Art in the specialty 10.01.09 — Folklore Studies, obtaining the academic degree of Candidate of Philological Sciences.
From 1995 to 2018, she worked at higher educational institutions in the cities of Aktobe and Kostanay as a lecturer, senior lecturer, associate professor of the department, dean of the correspondence faculty, vice-rector for research, and academic secretary. In the city of Astana, she held the positions of Head of the Sociolinguistics Department at the Republican Coordination and Methodological Center for Language Development named after Sh. Shayakhmetov, Chief Expert of the Department of Domestic and Inbound Tourism of the Tourism Industry Committee of the Ministry of Culture and Sports of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and Head of the Applied Linguistics Department at the National Scientific and Practical Center “Til-Kazyna” named after Shaysultan Shayakhmetov. Currently, she is Acting Associate Professor of the Department of General Education Disciplines at the Kazakh National Agrarian Research University.
In different years, for her contribution to raising the status of the Kazakh language, she was awarded the departmental award of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan — the “Akhmet Baitursynuly” badge, a Letter of Appreciation from the Mazhilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and a Certificate of Honor from the Minister of Culture and Sports of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
In 1995, she graduated with honors from Aktobe Pedagogical Institute named after K. Zhubanov with a degree as a teacher of Kazakh language and literature.
By order of the Science Committee of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan, within the framework of grant funding for scientific research for 2015-2017 on актуal issues of social sciences and humanities and interdisciplinary studies, she carried out the scientific project “Unification of Folklore Characters Using Innovative Technologies,” and as a result published the scientific and educational work “Kazakh Mythical Characters” (Almaty: Polygraphkombinat, 2016). Currently, this work is in demand among the general public. Based on the unified characteristics of mythological characters, animated products, comics, educational games, and language-learning projects are being developed. Folklore descriptions developed within the project were included in several books and collections, and visual images of livestock were also introduced into school textbooks.
In 2023-2025, as a logical continuation of the above project, she completed 65 percent of the collective monograph “Characters in Epic Poems: Tradition, Values of the Era, and Artistic Image.” This collective monograph considers Kazakh folklore as an integral part of national culture and scientifically examines the visualization of folklore characters and their educational potential. Modern ways of unifying and visualizing characters of oral folk literature are proposed, and the importance of heroic epics in fostering patriotism among the younger generation is proven with specific examples. The educational, cognitive, and enlightening content of comics and animated films created on the basis of famous Kazakh heroic and lyrical epics is comprehensively analyzed. The book is intended for specialists in folklore studies, pedagogy, art studies, researchers, applicants, as well as for a wide readership interested in national spiritual heritage.
Currently, she participates as a leading researcher in the scientific project “Philological Foundations for Developing the Visual Portrait of Legend Characters and Their Practical Significance” (AP26104063), funded by the Science Committee of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
More than 60 scientific articles devoted to current areas of Kazakh folklore and literary studies have been published at international and national conferences, as well as in domestic and foreign publications. She holds 3 certificates of state registration of copyright objects, the poetry collection “Sezim Elesteri” (1998), and the selected works collection “Ana Tagdyry” (2015).
In the scientific and creative field, the following works were published: the monograph “Kazakh Mythological Epic” (Almaty: Gylym, 2004), the methodological guide “Pedagogical Practice: Types, Organization and Implementation” (Aktobe, 2007), and the “Reference Book of the Kazakh Literary Language” (Almaty, Polygraphkombinat, 2016).
Within the framework of the item “Preparation and publication of informational and reference materials to familiarize with the sacred places of Kazakhstan” of the Action Plan for 2018–2022 to support ethnic Kazakhs abroad, she prepared 4 volumes of the informational and educational book “Atameken” during 2018-2021. The illustrative materials used to present the rich natural, historical, and tourist potential of our region increased the attractiveness of the publication and were warmly received by compatriots.
In addition, S. Itegulova demonstrated professionalism in the scientific support of activities aimed at systematizing historical names and names of administrative-territorial units. Under her authorship, methodological materials were prepared for participants of the republican seminar-meeting “Onomastics and Visual Information: Tasks and Proposals,” and the collections “Modern and Historical Names of Kostanay Region,” “Historical and Modern Names of Pavlodar Region,” “Modern and Historical Names of East Kazakhstan Region,” and “Historical and Modern Names of North Kazakhstan Region” were published. She also participated in compiling the illustrated encyclopedia of historical and geographical sites “70 Historical Places of Kazakhstan.”
Teaches the discipline “Kazakh Language” to first-year students.
1. 07.10–16.10.2024 — 72-hour course “Teaching the Kazakh Language in a Non-Native Audience” (Almaty, Abai University, Certificate No.001475);
2. 13.01–30.01.2025 — 72-hour course “Psychological Issues of Teaching Kazakh as a Foreign Language” (Almaty, Orleu, Certificate No.251301-0001-1072);
3. 26.05–05.06.2025 — 72-hour course “Inclusive Education in Higher Education Institutions” (Almaty, LLP "LAWYERS&CO.", Certificate No.10378);
4. 06.02.2026 — Skillbox online course “Fundamentals of Artificial Intelligence: Chat GPT” (LLP “Newscliz”, Certificate No.KZ330758).