Social-emotional competence as the promotive and protective factor for Chinese school teachers’ well-being

Teaching is widely recognized as one of the most emotionally demanding and high-stress professions worldwide. In China, these challenges are particularly pronounced due to unrealistically high expectations for teachers, excessive workloads, and intense pressure on students’ academic performance imposed by both the educational system and societal expectations. From a strength-based perspective, this study explores the resilience mechanisms focusing on how teachers’ social-emotional competence (SEC) can promote their overall well-being in the face of job burnout. With a stratified cluster random sample of 606 elementary and middle school teachers from 40 schools at the county level in southwest China, this study examined the relations among burnout, SEC, and well-being, utilizing mixed effects models that accounted for various teacher- and school-level variables. The findings highlight the dual roles of teacher SEC as both a promotive and protective factor for well-being, mitigating the negative effects of burnout. Calling for more research, this study provides valuable insights into the important roles of teacher SEC and discusses implications for developing professional development programs for teachers and educational reforms in China. Understanding the resilience mechanisms that help teachers navigate burnout to achieve better well-being is crucial for ongoing research and practice. This study is one of the first to examine both protective and promotive roles of teacher SEC within the Chinese cultural context, where attention to teacher well-being has been lacking so far. The findings call for more professional development programs to develop and enhance teacher SEC, equipping teachers with the skills needed to cope with stressful environments or burnout experience. In addition, this study advocates for increased support for teachers in ongoing education reforms.