Which well-being elements are fundamental for early childhood educators in the Chinese context? A network analysis

Which well-being elements are fundamental for early childhood educators in the Chinese context? A network analysis

• Li, Jianbin The Education University of Hong Kong
• Deng, Jiaxin Guangzhou University
• Xu, Yu The Education University of Hong Kong
• Sun, Jin University of Macau
• Chen, Junjun The Education University of Hong Kong
• Datu, Jesus Alfonso D. The University of Hong Kong
• Zhang, Rui The University of Hong Kong
• Qiu, Shiqi The Education University of Hong Kong

Applied Research in Quality of Life, 2023

Springer

2023

• M Teachers & Education for Teachers
  • MC Teachers' Certification, Employment & Salary

Wellness Preschool Teachers Psychological Network Career Development Occupational Health

• Hong Kong

• 1997.7 onwards

• Pre-Primary Education

Early childhood educators’ (ECEs) well-being has attracted worldwide attention given its importance to many individual, organizational, and child outcomes. ECEs’ well-being is a multidimensional construct that encompasses a number of elements. These elements are interrelated and represent a complex psychological network. Scant research has examined the features of this network and whether the network would be upheld for ECEs across career stages. This study uses a network analysis to identify pervasive and robust features of well-being in ECEs from diverse career developmental phases. Participants were 1,188 ECEs (1,008 females, M age = 32.19 years) recruited from four cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. They reported mental (i.e., subjective well-being and psychological well-being), occupational (i.e., job stress, job satisfaction, job burnout, and work engagement), and physical (i.e., physical health and role functioning of health) well-being. The results showed that emotional exhaustion was the most central element in the network whilst some other eudaimonic elements from the occupational aspect (e.g., vigor, dedication, and depersonalization) also occupied relatively important places. Further invariance analyses suggested that the above network was largely equivalent across ECEs at the novice, advanced beginner, and competent career stages. Theoretically, this study informs which elements are playing the fundamental role in the holistic well-being network among Chinese ECEs. Practically, the findings also provide implications for prevention and intervention strategies and career counselling to enhance Chinese ECEs’ different aspects of well-being. Copyright © 2023 The International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies (ISQOLS) and Springer Nature B.V.

• English

Journal Articles

• 18712584

• 10.1007/s11482-023-10233-5

https://bibliography.lib.eduhk.hk/bibs/124c7ec7

2024-03-14