The Effect of Perceived Principal’s Instructional Leadership on the Occupational Well-being among Rural Elementary and Middle School Teachers

Background Occupational well-being as an important factor affecting the stability of the rural teacher team is not only the endogenous driver for the revitalization of rural education but also the source of a good life pursued by teachers. In order to promote the improvement of teachers' occupational well-being and further explore its influencing factors. this research explores the effects of perceived principal’s instructional leadership on rural elementary and middle school teachers, teachers’ instructional efficacy, and teacher awareness of professional development on their occupational well-being. Methods Simple random sampling was conducted on rural elementary and middle school teachers from Henan and Shandong provinces in China. Furthermore, using a quantitative approach, a total of 609 valid questionnaires were collected. A structural equation model was applied to validate and analyze the data collected. Results The results show that the higher the teachers’ perceived principal’s instructional leadership, the higher their occupational well-being, and teaching efficacy and professional development awareness pay a mediating effect between perceived principal’s leadership and occupational well-being. Conclusion The principals’ practices and reflection on instructional leadership should be encouraged, and the teachers’ self-understanding ability and professional development awareness should be promoted in order to enhance their occupational well-being.