Self-Efficacy as a Mediator Linking Burnout, Adaptability, and Administrative Support to Professional Development among Physical Education Teachers in China
List of Authors
Chen Soon Chee, Luhong Ma, Pan Liu, Saidon Amri
Keyword
Administrative support, Adaptability, Burnout, Physical education, Self-efficacy, Social Cognitive
Abstract
The present research focuses on the relationship among burnout, adaptability and administrative support with professional development in terms of self-efficacy mediating in physical education (PE) teachers in Henan Province, China. Drawing upon Social Cognitive Theory and Conservation of Resources Theory, the research seeks to understand the psychological and organizational factors that continue in the improvement of the professional development of teachers. Data were collected from 310 teachers in the physical education (PE) subjects in primary schools, middle schools and high schools with the use of structured questionnaire. A dual-stage analytic approach incorporating Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) have been used to test the reliability, validity and hypothesized relationships. The results showed that the burnout has a negative prediction on both self-efficacy and professional development, adaptability and administrative support have positive and significant effects on the self-efficacy and professional development. Moreover, self-efficacy was found to mediate the effects of burnout, adaptability, and support of administration on professional development to explain substantial variance (R2 = 0.642). The Importance-Performance Map Analysis (IPMA), further determined that self-efficacy and administrative support were the most significant predictors of professional growth. These findings highlight that strengthening the adaptability of teachers and institutional support and battling burnout can strengthen self-efficacy and, in turn, provide for sustainable professional development. The study emphasis self-efficacy both as a key psychological link between personal resilience and organizational resources in promoting teacher learning and educational quality in China, which is of both theoretical and practical importance.