Teacher Well-Being in Science Education: Relationships Between Affect, Self-Efficacy, and Job Satisfaction
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22600/1518-8795.ienci/2025v30n3p346Keywords:
Teacher emotions, Professional motivation, Teacher engagement, Psychosocial factors, Basic educationAbstract
This study investigated how emotional factors (positive affect), motivational factors (teacher self-efficacy), and demographic variables (gender, age, and years of teaching experience) relate to job satisfaction among K–12 Science teachers. A quantitative, cross-sectional design was adopted, using validated instruments administered to a sample of 105 public school teachers from the Federal District of Brazil. The results indicated that positive affect was the strongest predictor of job satisfaction, even when controlling for motivational and demographic variables. Positive affect was also significantly associated with teacher self-efficacy and enthusiasm, while negative affect showed an inverse relationship with job satisfaction. Teaching experience demonstrated a modest positive effect. The mediation analysis did not confirm the hypothesis that self-efficacy mediates the relationship between positive affect and satisfaction, suggesting a direct effect of emotional states on professional well-being. Gender differences indicated greater emotional vulnerability among female teachers. These findings underscore the importance of institutional initiatives aimed at promoting teachers’ emotional well-being, especially in Science education, and point to future research avenues that focus on socioemotional interventions within school settings.References
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