Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate whether and how motivational beliefs—teachers’ self-efficacy (TSE) and teachers’ sense of responsibility (TSR)—related to well-being outcomes (i.e., job satisfaction and teacher burnout) among young Chinese teachers. A total of 1,821 teachers (Mage = 27.35, SD = 2.83) were surveyed and the results showed that (a) TSE and TSR had close associations with teachers’ well-being; (b) TSE had stronger associations with teaching emotions (enjoyment, anxiety, and anger) when TSR was high as opposed to low; (c) both enjoyment and anger mediated the relationship of TSE with well-being; and (d) enjoyment mediated the relationship of the interaction of TSE and TSR with well-being. For teachers with higher (as opposed to lower) TSR, the stronger role of TSE in boosting enjoyment may lead to higher job satisfaction and lower teacher burnout. The findings have significant implications for promoting the sustainable and healthy career development of young teachers.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Data availability
The datasets generated and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
References
Altın, M., & Karanci, A. N. (2008). How does locus of control and inflated sense of responsibility relate to obsessive-compulsive symptoms in Turkish adolescents? Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 22(8), 1303–1315. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2008.01.010
Ashby, F. G., Isen, A. M., & Turken, A. U. (1999). A neuropsychological theory of positive affect and its influence on cognition. Psychological Review, 106(3), 529–550. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295X.106.3.529
Atmaca, Ç., Rızaoğlu, F., Türkdoğan, T., & Yaylı, D. (2020). An emotion focused approach in predicting teacher burnout and job satisfaction. Teaching and Teacher Education, 90. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2020.103025
Bandura, A. (1977). Self-efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. Psychological Review, 84(2), 191–215. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295x.84.2.191
Berger, J. L., & Girardet, C. (2021). Vocational teachers’ classroom management style: The role of motivation to teach and sense of responsibility. European Journal of Teacher Education, 44(2), 200–216. https://doi.org/10.1080/02619768.2020.1764930
Broadfoot, P., Osborn, M., Gilly, M., & Paillet, A. (1988). What professional responsibility means to teachers: National contexts and classroom constants. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 9(3), 265–287. https://doi.org/10.1080/0142569880090302
Burić, I., & Frenzel, A. C. (2019). Teacher anger: New empirical insights using a multi-method approach. Teaching and Teacher Education, 86. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2019.102895
Burić, I., & Macuka, I. (2018). Self-efficacy, emotions and work engagement among teachers: A two wave cross-lagged analysis. Journal of Happiness Studies, 19(7), 1917–1933. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-017-9903-9
Buric, I., Sliskovic, A., & Soric, I. (2020). Teachers’ emotions and self-efficacy: A test of reciprocal relations. Frontiers in Psychology, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01650
Carver-Thomas, D., & Darling-Hammond, L. (2019). The trouble with teacher turnover: How teacher attrition affects students and schools. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 27(36). https://doi.org/10.14507/epaa.27.3699
Chaaban, Y., & Du, X. (2017). Novice teachers’ job satisfaction and coping strategies: Overcoming contextual challenges at Qatari government schools. Teaching and Teacher Education, 67, 340–350. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2017.07.002
Chang, M. L. (2009). An appraisal perspective of teacher burnout: Examining the emotional work of teachers. Educational Psychology Review, 21(3), 193–218. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-009-9106-y
Chen, X. J., & Padilla, A. M. (2022). Emotions and creativity as predictors of resilience among L3 learners in the Chinese educational context. Current Psychology, 41(1), 406–416. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-019-00581-7
Daniels, L. M., Radil, A. I., & Goegan, L. D. (2017). Combinations of personal responsibility: Differences on pre-service and practicing teachers’ efficacy, engagement, classroom goal structures and wellbeing. Frontiers in Psychology, 8. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00906
de Ruiter, J. A., Poorthuis, A. M. G., Aldrup, K., & Koomen, H. M. Y. (2020). Teachers’ emotional experiences in response to daily events with individual students varying in perceived past disruptive behavior. Journal of School Psychology, 82, 85–102. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2020.08.005
Dicke, T., Parker, P. D., Holzberger, D., Kunina-Habenicht, O., Kunter, M., & Leutner, D. (2015). Beginning teachers’ efficacy and emotional exhaustion: Latent changes, reciprocity, and the influence of professional knowledge. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 41, 62–72. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2014.11.003
Durksen, T. L., Klassen, R. M., & Daniels, L. M. (2017). Motivation and collaboration: The keys to a developmental framework for teachers’ professional learning. Teaching and Teacher Education, 67, 53–66. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2017.05.011
Edwards, J. R., & Lambert, L. S. (2007). Methods for integrating moderation and mediation: A general analytical framework using moderated path analysis. Psychological Methods, 12(1), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1037/1082-989X.12.1.1
Ekornes, S. (2017). Teacher stress related to student mental health promotion: The match between perceived demands and competence to help students with mental health problems. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, 61(3), 333–353. https://doi.org/10.1080/00313831.2016.1147068
Eren, A. (2014). Uncovering the links between prospective teachers’ personal responsibility, academic optimism, hope, and emotions about teaching: A mediation analysis. Social Psychology of Education, 17(1), 73–104. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11218-013-9243-5
Eren, A. (2017). Professional aspirations among pre-service teachers: Personal responsibility, time perspectives, and career choice satisfaction. The Australian Educational Researcher, 44(3), 275–297. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13384-017-0234-y
Finney, E. A. (2019). Examining teacher efficacy and sense of responsibility in relation to burnout in alternatively certified teachers (Publication No. 2362229639) [Doctoral dissertation, Oklahoma State University]. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global.
Fischman, W., DiBara, J. A., & Gardner, H. (2006). Creating good education against the odds. Cambridge Journal of Education, 36(3), 383–398. https://doi.org/10.1080/03057640600866007
Fishman, E. J. (2014). With great control comes great responsibility: The relationship between perceived academic control, student responsibility, and self-regulation. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 84(4), 685–702. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjep.12057
Fredrickson, B. L. (2001). The role of positive emotions in positive psychology: The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions. American Psychologist, 56(3), 218–226. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.56.3.218
Fredrickson, B. L. (2013). Positive emotions broaden and build. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 47, 1–53. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-407236-7.00001-2
Frenzel, A. C., Pekrun, R., Goetz, T., Daniels, L. M., Durksen, T. L., Becker-Kurz, B., & Klassen, R. M. (2016). Measuring teachers’ enjoyment, anger, and anxiety: The Teacher Emotions Scales (TES). Contemporary Educational Psychology, 46, 148–163. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2016.05.003
Frymier, A. B., & Houser, M. L. (2000). The teacher-student relationship as an interpersonal relationship. Communication Education, 49(3), 207–219. https://doi.org/10.1080/03634520009379209
Hakanen, J. J., Bakker, A. B., & Schaufeli, W. B. (2006). Burnout and work engagement among teachers. Journal of School Psychology, 43(6), 495–513. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2005.11.001
Ho, C. L., & Au, W. T. (2006). Teaching satisfaction scale: Measuring job satisfaction of teachers. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 66(1), 172–185. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013164405278573
Keller-Schneider, M., Zhong, H. F., & Yeung, A. S. (2020). Competence and challenge in professional development: Teacher perceptions at different stages of career. Journal of Education for Teaching, 46(1), 36–54. https://doi.org/10.1080/02607476.2019.1708626
Klassen, R. M., Bong, M., Usher, E. L., Chong, W. H., Huan, V. S., Wong, I. Y., & Georgiou, T. (2009). Exploring the validity of a teachers’ self-efficacy scale in five countries. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 34, 67–76. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2008.08.001
Lauermann, F. (2014). Teacher responsibility from the teacher’s perspective. International Journal of Educational Research, 65, 75–89. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2013.09.005
Lauermann, F., & Berger, J.-L. (2021). Linking teacher self-efficacy and responsibility with teachers’ self-reported and student-reported motivating styles and student engagement. Learning and Instruction, 76. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2020.101441
Lauermann, F., & Karabenick, S. A. (2011). Taking teacher responsibility into account (ability): Explicating its multiple components and theoretical status. Educational Psychologist, 46(2), 122–140. https://doi.org/10.1080/00461520.2011.558818
Lauermann, F., & Karabenick, S. A. (2013). The meaning and measure of teachers’ sense of responsibility for educational outcomes. Teaching and Teacher Education, 30, 13–26. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2012.10.001
Lauermann, F., & König, J. (2016). Teachers’ professional competence and wellbeing: Understanding the links between general pedagogical knowledge, self-efficacy and burnout. Learning and Instruction, 45, 9–19. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2016.06.006
Li, J., Yao, M. L., Liu, H. R., & Zhang, L. F. (2021). Influence of personality on work engagement and job satisfaction among young teachers: Mediating role of teaching style. Current Psychology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-021-01565-2
Ling, H., Wang, Y., Zhang, J., & Li, H. (2016). Comparative studies on well-being among novice, proficient and expert teachers. Chinese Journal of Clinical Psychology, 24(1), 56–59.
Liu, Y. S., Liu, S. Z., Zhang, Q. C., & Hu, L. L. (2021). Does perceived corporate social responsibility motivate hotel employees to voice? The role of felt obligation and positive emotions. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 48, 182–190. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhtm.2021.06.006
Locke, E. A. (1970). Job satisfaction and job performance: A theoretical analysis. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 5(5), 484–500. https://doi.org/10.1016/0030-5073(70)90036-X
Madigan, D. J., & Kim, L. E. (2021). Towards an understanding of teacher attrition: A meta-analysis of burnout, job satisfaction, and teachers’ intentions to quit. Teaching and Teacher Education, 105. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2021.103425
Malinen, O. P., & Savolainen, H. (2016). The effect of perceived school climate an teacher efficacy in behavior management on job satisfaction and burnout: A longitudinal study. Teaching and Teacher Education, 60, 144–152. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2016.08.012
Manasia, L., Parvan, A., & Macovei, M. (2020). Towards a model of teacher well-being from a positive emotions perspective. European Journal of Investigation in Health Psychology and Education, 10(1), 469–496. https://doi.org/10.3390/ejihpe10010035
Maslach, C., Jackson, S. E., & Schwab, R. L. (1986). Maslach Burnout Inventory Educators Survey (MBI-ES). In C. Maslach, S. E. Jackson, & M. P. Leiter (Eds.), MBI manual (3rd ed.). Consulting Psychologists Press.
Matteucci, M. C., Guglielmi, D., & Lauermann, F. (2017). Teachers’ sense of responsibility for educational outcomes and its associations with teachers’ instructional approaches and professional wellbeing. Social Psychology of Education, 20(2), 275–298. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11218-017-9369-y
Mercan, F. C. (2020). Control-value theory and enjoyment of science: A cross-national investigation with 15-year-olds using PISA 2006 data. Learning and Individual Differences, 80. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2020.101889
Meristo, M., & Eisenschmidt, E. (2014). Novice teachers’ perceptions of school climate and self-efficacy. International Journal of Educational Research, 67, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2014.04.003
Moreira-Fontán, E., García-Señorán, M., Conde-Rodríguez, Á., & González, A. (2019). Teachers’ ICT-related self-efficacy, job resources, and positive emotions: Their structural relations with autonomous motivation and work engagement. Computers and Education, 134, 63–77. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2019.02.007
Msuya, O. W. (2016). Exploring levels of job satisfaction among teachers in public secondary schools in Tanzania. International Journal of Educational Administration and Policy Studies, 8, 9–16.
Nalipay, M. J. N., Mordeno, I. G., Semilla, J. R. B., & Frondozo, C. E. (2019). Implicit beliefs about teaching ability, teacher emotions, and teaching satisfaction. Asia-Pacific Education Researcher, 28(4), 313–325. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40299-019-00467-z
Pekrun, R. (2006). The control-value theory of achievement emotions: Assumptions, corollaries, and implications for educational research and practice. Educational Psychology Review, 18(4), 315–341. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-006-9029-9
Pekrun, R. (2018). Control-value theory: A social-cognitive approach to achievement emotions. In G. A. D. Liem & D. M. McInerney (Eds.), Big theories revisited 2: A volume of research on sociocultural influences on motivation and learning (pp. 162–190). Information Age Publishing.
Perera, H. N., & John, J. E. (2020). Teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs for teaching math: Relations with teacher and student outcomes. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 61. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2020.101842
Putwain, D. W., Schmitz, E. A., Wood, P., & Pekrun, R. (2021). The role of achievement emotions in primary school mathematics: Control–value antecedents and achievement outcomes. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 91(1), 347–367. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjep.12367
Schmidt, J., Klusmann, U., Lüdtke, O., Möller, J., & Kunter, M. (2017). What makes good and bad days for beginning teachers? A diary study on daily uplifts and hassles. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 48, 85–97. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2016.09.004
Shao, K., Pekrun, R., Marsh, H. W., & Loderer, K. (2020). Control-value appraisals, achievement emotions, and foreign language performance: A latent interaction analysis. Learning and Instruction, 69. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2020.101356
Shen, Y. E. (2009). Relationships between self-efficacy, social support and stress coping strategies in Chinese primary and secondary school teachers. Stress and Health: Journal of the International Society for the Investigation of Stress, 25(2), 129–138. https://doi.org/10.1002/smi.1229
Skaalvik, E. M., & Skaalvik, S. (2007). Dimensions of teacher self-efficacy and relations with strain factors, perceived collective teacher efficacy, and teacher burnout. Journal of Educational Psychology, 99(3), 611–625. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.99.3.611
Sorensen, L. C., & Ladd, H. F. (2020). The hidden costs of teacher turnover. AERA Open, 6(1), 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1177/2332858420905812
Sutton, R. E. (2007). Teachers’ anger, frustration, and self-regulation. In P. A. Schutz & R. Pekrun (Eds.), Emotion in education (pp. 259–274). Academic Press.
Sutton, R. E., & Wheatley, K. F. (2003). Teachers’ emotions and teaching: A review of the literature and directions for future research. Educational Psychology Review, 15(4), 327–358. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1026131715856
Taxer, J. L., Becker-Kurz, B., & Frenzel, A. C. (2019). Do quality teacher-student relationships protect teachers from emotional exhaustion? The mediating role of enjoyment and anger. Social Psychology of Education, 22(1), 209–226. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11218-018-9468-4
TengkuAriffin, T. F., Bush, T., & Nordin, H. (2018). Framing the roles and responsibilities of excellent teachers: Evidence from Malaysia. Teaching and Teacher Education, 73, 14–23. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2018.03.005
Tschannen-Moran, M., & McMaster, P. (2009). Sources of self-efficacy. Four professional development formats and their relationship to self-efficacy and implementation of a new teaching strategy. The Elementary School Journal, 110(2), 228–245. https://doi.org/10.1086/605771
Tschannen-Moran, M., & Woolfolk Hoy, A. (2007). The differential antecedents of self-efficacy beliefs of novice and experience teachers. Teaching and Teacher Education, 23, 944–956.
Tynjälä, P., & Heikkinen, H. L. T. (2011). Beginning teachers’ transition from pre-service education to working life. Zeitschrift Für Erziehungswissenschaft, 14(1), 11–33. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11618-011-0175-6
van Seggelen-Damen, I., & van Dam, K. (2016). Self-reflection as a mediator between self-efficacy and well-being. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 31(1), 18–33. https://doi.org/10.1108/jmp-01-2013-0022
Ventura, M., Salanova, M., & Llorens, S. (2015). Professional self-efficacy as a predictor of burnout and engagement: The role of challenge and hindrance demands. The Journal of Psychology, 149(3), 277–302. https://doi.org/10.1080/00223980.2013.876380
Vettori, G., Bigozzi, L., Vezzani, C., & Pinto, G. (2022). The mediating role of emotions in the relation between beliefs and teachers’ job satisfaction. Acta Psychologica, 226. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2022.103580
Wang, G., Liu, C., & Wu, X. (2003). Development of educator burnout inventory. Psychological Development and Education, 19, 82–86.
Wang, H., Hall, N. C., & Rahimi, S. (2015). Self-efficacy and causal attributions in teachers: Effects on burnout, job satisfaction, illness, and quitting intentions. Teaching and Teacher Education, 47, 120–130. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2014.12.005
Wang, J. Y., Yao, M. L., & Liu, H. R. (2022). Relationships among teachers’ achievement goals, self-efficacy, anxiety, and work engagement: Variable-centered and person-centered perspectives. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 20(1), 122–129. https://doi.org/10.12139/j.1672-0628.2022.01.018
Wang, X. L., & Zhang, S. J. (2018). A case study of the development of novice teachers resilience: The perspective of social ecology. Research in Educational Development, 38(6), 74–79. https://doi.org/10.14121/j.cnki.1008-3855.2018.06.013
Wei, M. F., Wang, L. F., & Kivlighan, D. M. (2021). Group counseling change process: An adaptive spiral among positive emotions, positive relations, and emotional cultivation/regulation. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 68(6), 730–745. https://doi.org/10.1037/cou0000550
Weiqi, C. (2007). The structure of secondary school teacher job satisfaction and its relationship with attrition and work enthusiasm. Chinese Education and Society, 40(5), 17–31. https://doi.org/10.2753/CED1061-1932400503
Weißenfels, M., Benick, M., & Perels, F. (2021). Can teacher self-efficacy act as a buffer against burnout in inclusive classrooms? International Journal of Educational Research, 109. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2021.101794
Winter, P. A., Brenner, D. B., & Petrosko, J. M. (2006). Teacher job satisfaction in a reform state: The influence of teacher characteristics, job dimensions, and psychological states. Journal of School Leadership, 16(4), 416–437. https://doi.org/10.1177/105268460601600403
Yin, H., Huang, S., & Chen, G. (2019). The relationships between teachers’ emotional labor and their burnout and satisfaction: A meta-analytic review. Educational Research Review, 28. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2019.100283
Zee, M., & Koomen, H. M. Y. (2016). Teacher self-efficacy and its effects on classroom processes, student academic adjustment, and teacher well-being: A synthesis of 40 years of research. Review of Educational Research, 86(4), 981–1015. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654315626801
Zhang, K., Cui, X., Wang, R., Mu, C., & Wang, F. (2022). Emotions, illness symptoms, and job satisfaction among kindergarten teachers: The mediating role of emotional exhaustion. Sustainability, 14(6). https://doi.org/10.3390/su14063261
Zhang, Y., & Tsang, K. K. (2021). Performance-based accountability and teacher emotions: Role of zhongyong thinking. Frontiers in Psychology, 12. https://doi.org/10.1016/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.612206
Zhou, H., & Long, L. R. (2004). Statistical remedies for common method biases. Advances in Psychological Science, 12(6), 942–942.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding authors
Ethics declarations
Ethical approval
The study was conducted according to the guidelines of the Declaration of Helsinki, and approved by the Academic Ethics Committee of the Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University (201912210083, approved date: 20191202).
Disclosure statement
Authors report there are no competing interests to declare.
Informed consent
Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.
Conflict of interest
On behalf of all authors, the corresponding authors state that there is no conflict of interest.
Additional information
Publisher's note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Zheng, S., Liu, H. & Yao, M. Linking young teachers’ self-efficacy and responsibility with their well-being: the mediating role of teaching emotions. Curr Psychol 42, 22551–22563 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-022-03342-1
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-022-03342-1