This study aims to explore the influence of social support perceived by early childhood teachers on their well-being and to verify the mediating roles of resilience and organizational commitment in this relationship. By comprehensively examining exter...
This study aims to explore the influence of social support perceived by early childhood teachers on their well-being and to verify the mediating roles of resilience and organizational commitment in this relationship. By comprehensively examining external support, individual psychological resources, and organizational factors, the study reveals the structural mechanisms underlying teachers’ well-being. Based on this purpose, the following research questions were proposed:
Research Question 1:How do social support, resilience, and organizational commitment affect early childhood teachers’ well-being?
Research Question 2: In the relationship between social support and teachers’ well-being, do resilience and organizational commitment exert significant mediating effects?
This study conducted a survey of early childhood teachers responsible for the education of children aged three to six in the northwestern regions of China from July 13 to August 30, 2025. A total of 390 questionnaires were collected through an online survey, of which 373 were deemed valid. SPSS 26.0 and AMOS 26.0 were used for data analysis, and descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, structural equation modeling (SEM), and Bootstrap mediation testing were performed.
The major findings are as follows. First, social support, resilience, and organizational commitment were found to exert significant positive effects on teachers’ well-being. Second, both resilience and organizational commitment mediated the relationship between social support and early childhood teachers’ well-being.
These results suggest that social support, resilience, and organizational commitment play critical roles in the formation of early childhood teachers’ well-being. Social support operates through both psychological and organizational pathways, exerting multifaceted effects on well-being. External support provides emotional comfort and a sense of recognition, thereby facilitating psychological recovery, while organizational support strengthens teachers’ sense of belonging and responsibility, deepening their perception of professional meaning. Together, these two factors form a complementary system of internal and external support, indicating that teachers’ well-being emerges from the interaction between external resources and internal psychological mechanisms.
This study offers meaningful implications for the field of early childhood education.
First, social support functions as a key external factor enhancing teachers’ well-being; thus, schools and administrators should foster a positive environment through effective communication, collaboration, and emotional support.
Second, resilience serves as an essential internal psychological resource mediating the relationship between external support and well-being. Educational institutions therefore need to strengthen teachers’ self-regulatory capacities through psychological counseling and professional development programs.
Third, organizational commitment plays a role in sustaining teachers’ well-being over time. Administrators should cultivate emotional bonds within the organization by establishing fair institutional practices and shared cultural values.
Overall, by identifying the structural relationships among social support, resilience, and organizational commitment, this study provides a theoretical foundation and practical direction for promoting teachers’ psychological health and professional well-being.