Self-efficacy and career resilience: The mediating role of professional identity and work passion in kindergarten teachers

We aimed to examine the mediating role of kindergarten teachers’ professional identity and work passion in the relationship between self-efficacy and career resilience. A sample of 662 kindergarten teachers from 30 kindergartens in China completed online surveys (female = 99.2%; mean age = 29.38 years, SD = 2.78 years; mean tenure = 9.27 years, SD = 2.21 years). We collected data on their self-efficacy, professional identity, career resilience, and work passion using validated measures. Structural equation modelling and mediating effect estimation analyses indicated that teacher self-efficacy positively predicted career resilience. Both professional identity and work passion separately mediated the relationship between self-efficacy and career resilience. Furthermore, professional identity and work passion had a chain mediating effect on the relationship between self-efficacy and career resilience, strengthening this relationship. These findings are consistent with work well-being theory. Based on these findings, we propose a need for school systems to support teachers in their professional identity and work passion for greater work well-being.