Kindergarten teachers’ objective career success and subjective well-being: The mediating role of professional identity

Abstract

This study explored the relationship between objective career success and subjective well-being in kindergarten teachers and the mediating role of professional identity in that relationship. The study sample comprised 5 385 kindergarten teachers from Guangdong province, China (females = 99.1%, 0-1 years of experience = 15.2%, 2-5 years of experience = 34.4%, 6-10 years of experience = 25.3%, 11-15 years of experience = 12.6%, >16 years of experience = 12.6%; mean years of experience = 5.75). The teachers completed the following measures: the Life Satisfaction Scale (LSS), Emotional Satisfaction Scale (ESS), Objective Career Success (OCS), and Professional Identity Scale (PIS). Regression and mediation analysis were utilised for the data analysis. Results indicate that objective career success predicts subjective well-being to be higher with higher levels of objective career success of male teachers. Professional identity plays a mediating role between objective career success and subjective well-being. It is also associated with increasing levels of subjective well-being, particularly among females and those with more experience. Our findings suggest a need to provide professional development space for kindergarten teachers, strengthening the links between their objective career success and work-life satisfaction.