Exploring a Structural Model of Teaching Enjoyment, Teacher Self-Efficacy, and Work Engagement

Abstract

Due to the complexity of teaching, determining the variables influencing teachers’ work engagement is a rewarding research area. In line with this research agenda, the purpose of this study was to test a structural model of work engagement based on teacher self-efficacy and teaching enjoyment among English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers. For this purpose, 315 Iranian English instructors completed an online survey. Initially, the measurement models for the three latent variables were averred via conducting confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Following that, structural equation modeling (SEM) was utilized to test the hypothesized model. SEM results showed that both self-efficacy and teaching enjoyment were the significant predictors of teachers’ work engagement, although teacher self-efficacy was a stronger predictor than teaching enjoyment. The findings might have notable implications for English teachers.

A model of teachers’ growth mindset, teaching enjoyment, work engagement, and teacher grit among EFL teachers

“…First, teaching enjoyment was found to be a significant predictor of a teachers' work engagement, supporting Hypothesis 1. This finding is in line with the outcomes reported by previous researchers (e.g., Ouweneel et al, 2012;Datu et al, 2022;Elkheloufi and Yean, 2022;Xiao et al, 2022) who demonstrated that positive emotions including feeling of joy and pleasure play a crucial role in affecting work engagement. The contribution of the teaching enjoyment to teachers' engagement can be interpreted with regard to the fact that teachers who do not get bored, feel pleasure in the class, and enjoy the good atmosphere of the class are more likely to be engaged in their teaching activities (Burić and Macuka, 2018).…”

“…Their findings indicated that resilience was a strong predictor of FLTE. In another study, Xiao et al (2022) tested a structural model of work engagement, self-efficacy, and teaching enjoyment among 315 EFL instructors. Their findings demonstrated that both predictors affected teachers’ work engagement, although teacher self-efficacy turned out to be a more powerful predictor than teaching enjoyment.…”

“…It was found that teacher efficacy and work engagement positively predicted job satisfaction and negatively affected teacher burnout. In another study, Xiao et al (2022) examined a structural model of the teacher self-efficacy, work engagement, and work enjoyment among EFL teachers. To this end, 315 EFL teachers completed an online survey.…”

“…As a positive affective factor, Foreign Language Teaching Enjoyment (FLTE) has recently been introduced to the literature of applied linguistics ( Proietti Ergün and Dewaele, 2021 ) and refers to a positive feeling of joy while teaching in the class ( Mierzwa, 2019 ). Teaching enjoyment is argued to be interrelated with teacher resilience, teacher grit, well-being, and work engagement (e.g., Proietti Ergün and Dewaele, 2021 ; Derakhshan et al, 2022 ; Xiao et al, 2022 ). Given the significant role of enjoyment in affecting L2 learning and its potential association with other affective constructs such as motivation, boredom, and engagement (e.g., Guo, 2021 ; Dewaele et al, 2022 ; Kruk et al, 2022 ), further exploration of teaching enjoyment in EFL contexts seems to be warranted.…”

Predicting Teaching Enjoyment from Teachers’ Perceived School Climate, Self-Efficacy, and Psychological Wellbeing at Work: EFL Teachers

“…First, teacher self-efficacy was one of the three direct and significant predictors of FLTE. This finding supports Xiao et al (2022) who reported a significant association between teaching enjoyment and selfefficacy. This outcome also partially supports Burić and Moe (2020), who found an association between teacher self-efficacy and teaching enthusiasm.…”