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

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 (Frank et al., 2016), the Teacher Self-Efficacy Scale (Tschannen-Moran & Hoy, 2001), and the Job Satisfaction Index (Tsui & Schriesheim, 1980). 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.