How Can We Improve Teacher’s Work Engagement? Based on Chinese Experiences

Abstract

Drawing on Self-Determination Theory, the current study analysed the relationship between teachers’ perceived autonomy support and work engagement while it also explored the mediating effect of basic psychological need satisfaction and intrinsic motivation. The study investigated 520 elementary teachers in Beijing, and we found the following: (1) teachers in different groups reported diverse senses of perceived autonomy support, in that teachers with less teaching experience as well as those with a master’s degree have a higher score regarding the perceptions of teacher autonomy; and (2) teacher autonomy can affect work engagement not only in terms of the satisfaction of basic psychological needs but also by the chain of satisfaction of basic psychological needs and intrinsic motivation. Teachers with more autonomy support will have higher basic psychological need satisfaction and stronger teaching motivation, which will further enhance their work engagement.

Implementation of Group and Individual Supervision Techniques, and Its Effect on the Work Motivation and Performance of Teachers at School Organization

“…Individual supervision was primarily intended to improve or solve an individual’s problems ( Ministry of Education and Culture, 2016 ). By doing individual supervision, the principal will understand the needs of each teacher, so that he can increase the teacher’s work motivation ( Zhang et al, 2021 ). Therefore, the results of this study are in line with the results of the previous studies and the theory of motivation.…”

“…Consequently, it can be concluded that the result of this research supports the previous studies done by previous researchers that work motivation positively influence teachers’ performance. Work motivation is the dominant factor that determines job performance ( Kwapong et al, 2015 ; Sudarjad et al, 2015 ; Meindinyo and Ikurite, 2017 ; Donkoh and Baffoe, 2018 ; Zhang et al, 2021 ).…”

“…School conditions that meet the psychological needs have a positive effect on teacher motivation. Teachers with more autonomy support will have higher satisfaction and stronger teaching motivation, which further enhances their work engagement ( Zhang et al, 2021 ). Teacher work engagement affects student academic achievement, especially for the teachers with high self-efficacy ( Wang, 2022 ).…”

Positive mental health literacy for teachers: adaptation and construct validation

“…We also examined the relationships of teachers’ positive MHL with teaching-related outcomes, teaching engagement and teaching satisfaction. Positive MHL supposedly facilitates the promotion of autonomy, competence, and relatedness, which have been found to be associated with teachers’ work engagement (e.g., Jin et al, 2022 ; Zhang et al, 2021 ) and work satisfaction (e.g., Shim et al, 2022 ; Whipp & Salin, 2018 ). Hence, we hypothesized that positive MHL would be related to increased teaching engagement and satisfaction.…”

Work Engagement and Teaching Performance of Public-school Physics Teachers in the New Normal

“…Public and private organizations maintain engaged employees to promote high levels of creativity, task performance, organizational citizenship behavior, and client satisfaction [1]. Among teachers, their work engagement affects their own professional development [2], influences students' physical and mental growth and academic performance [2], and results in more commitment, better involvement, and increased productivity [2].…”