Reflecting global trends, there is a growing demand for research into research-based teacher education in Kazakhstan. This study employs a qualitative multiple-case study design to examine the experiences of 450 undergraduate student teachers who completed educational research methods courses at four major teacher training universities in Kazakhstan. The aim is to understand student teachers' perceptions of educational research, course organisation, and the significance of these courses for their future profession. Our findings reveal that students across all four universities struggle to develop a comprehensive understanding of educational research. However, students from universities where the courses are obligatory and taught by research-active teacher educators show a better grasp of research as a process of inquiry, even if not specifically educational research. Our conceptual framework, based on Healey and Jenkins' model of undergraduate research and Reis-Jorge's descriptor of the modes of student involvement in research, provides a nuanced understanding of the challenges and opportunities of the research-based teacher education in Kazakhstan. Additionally, we propose modifications to this conceptual framework that may assist researchers in understanding research-based teacher education in diverse contexts and support teacher educators in planning the content and delivery of educational research methods courses.