Modeling the Effects of Teacher Resilience and Self-Efficacy on Prosocialness: Implications for Sustainable Education

Education is essential for sustainable development. However, the social and emotional dimensions of learning—fundamental for building resilience and fostering prosocial behavior—are often overlooked. This study aims to examine the direct and indirect effects of teacher resilience on prosocial behavior and feelings, mediated by self-efficacy beliefs, in a sample of Chilean elementary school teachers (N = 1426; average age = 41.5; 77.3% women). The proposed model fit the data well (χ2 = 7337.051, CFI = 0.956, TLI = 0.954, RMSEA = 0.054, SRMR = 0.051). Results showed that, as modeled, resilience had significant direct and indirect positive effects on prosocialness, mediated by self-efficacy. These findings suggest that strengthening resilience and self-efficacy in teachers is a key strategy for advancing socioemotional competencies and building inclusive, collaborative, and sustainable educational environments aligned with the goals of Education for Sustainable Development.