The Effect of Mindful Teaching on Job Satisfaction among L2 Instructors: Examining the Mediating Role of Teacher Self-Efficacy

نوع مقاله : مقاله پژوهشی

نویسندگان
1 Selçuk University, Turkey
2 Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli University, Turkey
چکیده
Teacher well-being has become an important concern in higher education due to increasing levels of occupational stress, burnout, and attrition, which may negatively affect instructional quality and student learning outcomes. These challenges are particularly evident in English as a foreign language teaching, where instructors frequently manage intensive workloads, diverse learner needs, and substantial emotional demands. Although previous research has linked mindfulness and self-efficacy to positive teacher outcomes, limited attention has been given to the psychological mechanisms through which mindful teaching contributes to job satisfaction in EFL contexts. Addressing this gap, the present study examined the direct effect of mindful teaching on job satisfaction and investigated the mediating role of teacher self-efficacy in this relationship. The participants consisted of 321 EFL instructors working in English-language preparatory programs in higher education in Türkiye. Data were collected using the Mindfulness in Teaching Scale, the Teacher Self-Efficacy Scale, and the Job Satisfaction Index. The findings revealed a statistically significant positive relationship between mindful teaching and job satisfaction. Teacher self-efficacy was also found to partially mediate this relationship, indicating that mindful teaching contributes to job satisfaction both directly and indirectly through stronger efficacy beliefs. These findings identify self-efficacy as an important psychological mechanism underlying the relationship between mindful teaching and job satisfaction. The study extends current understanding of teacher well-being in EFL higher education by providing empirical support for a mediation model linking mindful teaching, self-efficacy, and job satisfaction
کلیدواژه‌ها
موضوعات

Abu-Tineh, A. M., Khasawneh, S. A., & Khalaileh, H. A.(2011). Teacher self-efficacy and classroom management styles in Jordanian schools. Management in Education, 25(4), 175–181. https://doi.org/10.1177/0892020611420597
Aslan Gördeslia, M. (2022). Mindfulness in teaching and job burnout: The mediating role of self-efficacy. International Journal of Psychology and Educational Studies, 9(3), 551–560. https://doi.org/10.52380/ijpes.2022.9.3.1080
Atmaca, Ç., Rızaoglu, F. Türkdogan, T. & Yaylı, D. (2020). An emotion-focused approach in predicting teacher burnout and job satisfaction. Teaching and Teacher Education 90, 1–13 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2020.103025
Baitleuova, L., Irgatoğlu, A., & Aliakbarova, A. (2025). Through students’ and lecturers’ eyes: Kazakhstani medical students’ needs and self-efficacy beliefs in learning English. Novitas-ROYAL (Research on Youth and Language), 19(1), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15210243
Bakker, A. B., & Demerouti, E. (2007). The Job Demands–Resources model: State of the art. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 22(3), 309–328. https://doi.org/10.1108/02683940710733115
Baltzell, A. L. (2016). Mindfulness and performance. In I. Ivtzan & T. Lomas (Eds.), Mindfulness in positive psychology (pp. 64–79). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139871310
Bandura, A. (2011). A social cognitive perspective on positive psychology. Revista de Psicología Social, 26(1), 7–20. https://doi.org/10.1174/021347411794078444
Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. Psychological Review, 84(2), 191–215. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295X.84.2.191
Banerjee, N., Stearns, E., Moller, S., & Mickelson, R. A. (2017). Teacher job satisfaction and student achievement: The roles of teacher professional community and teacher collaboration in schools. American Journal of Education, 123(2), 203–241. https://doi.org/10.1086/689932
Bogler, R. (2001). The influence of leadership style on teacher job satisfaction. Educational Administration Quarterly, 37(5), 662–683. https://doi.org/10.1177/00131610121969460
Brackett, M. A., Palomera, R., Mojsa-Kaja, J., Reyes, M. R., & Salovey, P. (2010). Emotion regulation ability, burnout, and job satisfaction among British secondary-school teachers. Psychology in the Schools, 47(4), 406–417. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.20478
Brouwers, A., & Tomic, W. (2000). A longitudinal study of teacher burnout and perceived self-efficacy in classroom management. Teaching and Teacher Education, 16(2), 239–253. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0742-051X(99)00057-8
Brown, K. W., & Ryan, R. M. (2003). The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84(4), 822–848. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.84.4.822
Cheng, Y. C., Yang, T. A., & Lee, J. C. (2021). The relationship between smartphone addiction, parent-child relationship, loneliness, and self-efficacy among senior high school students in Taiwan. Sustainability, 13(16), 9475. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13169475
Derakhshan, A., & Fathi, J. (2024). Growth mindset, self-efficacy, and self-regulation: A symphony of success in L2 speaking. System, 123. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2024.103320
Derakhshan, A., Fathi, J., & Pawlak, M. (2022). The role of teacher emotion regulation in the relationship between self-efficacy and job satisfaction. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1003046
Derakhshan, A., Coombe, C., Arabmofrad, A., & Taghizadeh, M. (2020). Investigating the effects of English language teachers' professional identity and autonomy in their success. Issues in Language Teaching, 9(1), 1–28. https://doi.org/10.22054/ilt.2020.52263.496
Emin Türkoğlu, M., Cansoy, R., & Parlar, H. (2017). Examining the relationship between teachers' self-efficacy and job satisfaction. Universal Journal of Educational Research, 5(5), 765–772. https://doi.org/10.13189/ujer.2017.050509
Faul, F., Erdfelder, E., Lang, A. G., & Buchner, A. (2007). G*Power 3: A flexible statistical power analysis program for the social, behavioral, and biomedical sciences. Behavior Research Methods, 39(2), 175–191. https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03193146
Fathi, J., Derakhshan, A., & Saharkhiz Arabani, A. (2020). Investigating a structural model of self-efficacy, collective efficacy, and psychological well-being among Iranian EFL teachers. Iranian Journal of Applied Linguistics Studies, 12(1), 61–80. https://doi.org/10.22111/IJALS.2020.5725
Frank, J. L., Jennings, P. A., & Greenberg, M. T. (2016). Validation of the mindfulness in teaching scale. Mindfulness, 7(1), 155–163. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-015-0461-0
Guidetti, G., Viotti, S., Badagliacca, R., Colombo, L., & Converso, D. (2019). Can mindfulness mitigate the energy-depleting process and increase job resources to prevent burnout? A study on the mindfulness trait in the school context. Plos One, 14(4). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0214935
Hascher, T., & Waber, J. (2021). Teacher well-being: A systematic review of the research literature from the year 2000–2019. Educational Research Review, 34, 100411. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2021.100411
Huang, J. (2022). The role of English as a foreign language teacher's mindfulness and compassion in fostering students' foreign language enjoyment. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.899298
Hyseni Duraku, Z., Blakaj, V., Shllaku Likaj, E., Boci, L., & Shtylla, H. (2022). Professional training improves early education teachers’ knowledge, skills, motivation, and self-efficacy. Frontiers in Education, 7, 980254. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2022.980254
Irgatoğlu, A., & Kırmızı, Ö. (2023). Pre-service EFL teachers’ immunity perceptions concerning their perceived teacher commitment levels. Novitas-ROYAL (Research on Youth and Language), 17(2), 95–111. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10015834
Jeon, L., Buettner, C. K., Grant, A. A., & Lang, S. N. (2019). Early childhood teachers’ stress and children’s social, emotional, and behavioral functioning. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 61, 21–32. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appdev.2018.02.002
Jennings, P. A. (2015). Early childhood teachers’ well-being, mindfulness, and self-compassion in relation to classroom quality and attitudes towards challenging students. Mindfulness, 6(4), 732–743. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-014-0312-4
Jennings, P. A., Brown, J. L., Frank, J. L., Doyle, S., Oh, Y., Davis, R., Rasheed, D., DeWeese, A., DeMauro, A. A., Cham, H., & Greenberg, M. T. (2017). Impacts of the CARE for Teachers program on teachers' social and emotional competence and classroom interactions. Journal of Educational Psychology, 109(7), 1010–1028. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000187
Johnson, S. M., Kraft, M. A., & Papay, J. P. (2012). How context matters in high-need schools: The effects of teachers’ working conditions on their professional satisfaction and their students’ achievement. Teachers College Record, 114(10), 1–39. https://doi.org/10.1177/016146811211401004
Klassen, R. M., & Tze, V. M. (2014). Teachers’ self-efficacy, personality, and teaching effectiveness: A meta-analysis. Educational Research Review, 12, 59–76. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2014.06.001
Klassen, R. M., & Chiu, M. M. (2010). Effects on teachers' self-efficacy and job satisfaction: Teacher gender, years of experience, and job stress. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 35(3), 191–203. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2010.03.001
Kubzansky, L. D., Huffman, J. C., Boehm, J. K., Hernandez, R., Kim, E. S., Koga, H. K., Feig, E. H., Lloyd-Jones, D. M., Seligman, M. E. P., & Labarthe, D. R. (2018). Positive psychological well-being and cardiovascular disease: JACC health promotion series. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 72(12), 1382–1396. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacc.2018.07.042
Lee, P. M. J., & Quek, C. L. (2018). Preschool teachers’ perceptions of school learning environment and job satisfaction. Learning Environments Research, 21(3), 369–386. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10984-017-9256-7
Lopes, J., & Oliviera, C. (2020). Teacher and school determinants of teacher job satisfaction: a multilevel analysis. School effectiveness and school improvement. An International Journal of Research, Policy and Practice, 31(4), 641–659. https://doi.org/10.1080/09243453.2020.1764593
Lu, M. H., Luo, J., Chen, W., & Wang, M. C. (2019). The influence of job satisfaction on the relationship between professional identity and burnout: A study of student teachers in Western China. Current Psychology, 38(1), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-019-00565-7
Madigan, D. J., & Kim, L. E. (2021). Towards an understanding of teacher attrition: A meta-analysis of burnout, job satisfaction, and teachers’ intentions to quit. Teaching and Teacher Education, 105, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2021.103425
Pepe, A., Addimando, L., & Veronese, G. (2017). Measuring teacher job satisfaction: Assessing invariance in the teacher job satisfaction scale (TJSS) across six countries. Europe’s Journal of Psychology, 13(3), 396–416. https://doi.org/10.5964/ejop.v13i3.1389
Piasecka, L. (2016). Teaching matters: Enjoyment and job satisfaction. In D. Gałajda, P. Zakrajewski, & M. Pawlak (Eds.) Researching second language learning and teaching from a psycholinguistic perspective: Studies in honor of Danuta Gabryś-Barker (pp.167–182), Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31954-4_12
Polishchuk, O., Koltunovych, T., Andrieieva, Y., Heisonyuk, N., & Oliinyk, M. (2022). Job satisfaction and professional burnout of preschool teachers. Revista Romaneasca pentru Educatie Multidimensionala, 14(4), 325–352. https://doi.org/10.18662/rrem/14.4/644
Qi, J., & Derakhshan, A. (2023). Chinese EFL teachers’ desire to attend professional development programs: Exploring the role of job satisfaction and organizational commitment. Porta Linguarum, 41, 311–327. https://doi.org/10.30827/portalin.vi2023c.29656
Reiser, J. E., & McCarthy, C. J. (2018). Preliminary investigation of a stress prevention and mindfulness group for teachers. The Journal for Specialists in Group Work, 43(1), 2–34. https://doi.org/10.1080/01933922.2017.1338811
Rezaee, A., Khoshsima, H., Zare-Bahtash, E., & Sarani, A. (2018). A mixed method study of the relationship between EFL teachers' job satisfaction and job performance in Iran. International Journal of Instruction, 11(4), 577–592. https://doi.org/10.12973/iji.2018.11425a
Roeser, R. W., Schonert-Reichl, K. A., Jha, A., Cullen, M., Wallace, L., Wilensky, R., Oberle, E., Thomson, K., Taylor, C., & Harrison, J. (2013). Mindfulness training and reductions in teacher stress and burnout: Results from two randomized, waitlist-control field trials. Journal of Educational Psychology, 105(3), 787–804. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0032093
Shoshani, A., & Eldor, L. (2016). The informal learning of teachers: Learning climate, job satisfaction and teachers’ and students’ motivation and well-being. International Journal of Educational Research, 79, 52–63. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2016.06.007
Skaalvik, E. M., & Skaalvik, S. (2010). Teacher self-efficacy and teacher burnout: A study of relations. Teaching and Teacher Education, 26(4), 1059–1069. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2009.11.001
Skaalvik, E. M., & Skaalvik, S. (2011). Teacher job satisfaction and motivation to leave the teaching profession: relations with school context, feeling of belonging, and emotional exhaustion. Teaching and Teacher Education, 27(6), 1029–1038. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2011.04.001
Skaalvik, E. M., & Skaalvik, S. (2015). Job satisfaction, stress, and coping strategies in the teaching profession—What do teachers say? International Education Studies, 8(3), 181–192. https://doi.org/10.5539/ies.v8n3p181
Solhi, M., Pawlak, M., Elahi Shirvan, M., Kruk, M., & Taherian, T. (2026). A latent profile analysis of EFL teachers’ L2 grit: Associations with teaching boredom, enjoyment, enthusiasm, and self-efficacy. Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching. https://doi.org/10.1080/17501229.2026.2680245
Stevens, A. M. (2022). The relationship of self-efficacy and professional development on the job satisfaction of prekindergarten teachers. Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 3576. https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/3576
Toropova, A., Myrberg, E., & Johansson, S. (2021). Teacher job satisfaction: The importance of school working conditions and teacher characteristics. Educational Review, 73(1), 71–97. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131911.2019.1705247
Troeschi L.M. & Bauer, C.E. (2017). Second career teachers: job satisfaction, job stress, and the role of self-efficacy. Teaching and Teacher Education, 67, 389-398. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2017.07.006
Tschannen-Moran, M., & Hoy, A. W. (2001). Teacher efficacy: Capturing an elusive construct. Teaching and Teacher Education, 17(7), 783–805. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0742-051X(01)00036-1
Tsui, A. S., & Schriesheim, C. A. (1980). Exploring individual and organizational boundaries: A Tavistock open systems approach. Academy of Management Review, 5(3), 465–475. https://doi.org/10.2307/257444
Walker, S. D. (2017). The effects of mindfulness training on teacher perception of stress and teacher self-efficacy. Baker University.
Wang, J.W., & Derakhshan, A. (2024). Ameliorating the psychological well-being of Chinese and Iranian teachers in English classrooms: A cross-cultural analysis of the role of job satisfaction and exemplary leadership. European Journal of Education, 60(1). https://doi.org/10.1111/EJED.12877
Wang, Y., Derakhshan, A., & Solhi, M. (2025). Dispositions toward loving pedagogy, emotion regulation, and self-efficacy as predictors of EFL teachers’ work engagement: A multinational study. Language Teaching Research. https://doi.org/10.1177/13621688251353132
Xia, J., Wang, M., & Zhang, S. (2023). School culture and teacher job satisfaction in early childhood education in China: The mediating role of teaching autonomy. Asia Pacific Education Review, 24(1), 101–111. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12564-021-09734-5
Yin, P., Huang, C., Yin, X., Yang, F., Qiu, S., & Song, D. (2024). Kindergarten teachers’ mindfulness in teaching and job satisfaction: A moderated mediation model. Sage Open, 14(4). https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440241292899
Yüce, E., Kruk, M., & Derakhshan, A. (2023). Metacognitive knowledge and openness to diversity and challenge among Turkish pre-service EFL teachers: The mediating role of creative self-efficacy. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 50. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2023.101386
Zee, M., & Koomen, H. M. (2016). Teacher self-efficacy and its effects on classroom processes, student academic adjustment, and teacher well-being. Review of Educational Research, 86(4), 981–1015. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654315626801
Zhang, H., Shi, Y., & Teng, L. S. (2024). Exploring relationships of job satisfaction and burnout with turnover intention among Chinese English language teachers. The Asia-Pacific Education Researcher, 33(3), 587–601. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40299-023-00755-9
Zhi, R., Wang, Y. X., & Derakhshan, A. (2024). On the role of academic buoyancy and self-efficacy in predicting teachers’ work engagement: A case of Chinese English as a foreign language teachers. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 131(2), 612–629. https://doi.org/10.1177/00315125231222398