The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of Chinese early childhood teachers’ professionalism on teacher efficacy, with a particular focus on the multi-mediating effects of ego-resilience and job satisfaction. Specifically, this study ai...
The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of Chinese early childhood teachers’ professionalism on teacher efficacy, with a particular focus on the multi-mediating effects of ego-resilience and job satisfaction. Specifically, this study aimed to systematically explore both the direct and indirect pathways among professionalism, ego-resilience, job satisfaction, and teacher efficacy.
The research questions established to achieve the purpose of this study are as follows:
Research Question 1. What are the direct effects of early childhood teachers’ professionalism, ego-resilience, and job satisfaction on teacher efficacy?
Research Question 2. What are the mediating effects of early childhood teachers’ ego-resilience and job satisfaction in the relationship between teachers’ professionalism and teacher efficacy?
To achieve the research objectives, a questionnaire survey was conducted with early childhood teachers working at kindergartens located in Hebei, Zhejiang, and Guangdong provinces in China. A total of 330 questionnaires were distributed, and 302 valid responses were used for data analysis. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS 26.0 and AMOS 26.0. Descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation analyses were performed to examine the general tendencies of the variables and their interrelationships. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to test the fitness of the research model. Furthermore, bootstrapping procedures and multiple phantom variable techniques were applied to verify the mediation effects as well as the direct and indirect effects of professionalism on teacher efficacy through ego-resilience and job satisfaction.
The results revealed that professionalism, ego-resilience, and job satisfaction of Chinese early childhood teachers all had significant direct effects on teacher efficacy. In addition, teacher professionalism influenced teacher efficacy not only directly but also indirectly through the dual mediating pathways of ego-resilience and job satisfaction. These findings indicate a structural relationship in which higher levels of teacher professionalism enhance ego-resilience and job satisfaction, which in turn strengthen teacher efficacy.
The results suggest that as early childhood teachers’ professionalism increases, their beliefs and confidence in instructional and caregiving practices are reinforced. Moreover, higher ego-resilience enables teachers to maintain stable and effective teaching practices even in unpredictable and challenging situations. Enhanced job satisfaction also contributes to positive attitudes toward professional roles, thereby promoting teacher efficacy.
This study highlights the importance of establishing systematic professional development programs to enhance teacher professionalism, providing psychological and emotional support to strengthen ego-resilience, and improving working conditions and collaborative organizational cultures to increase job satisfaction.