The association between social support and decent work among rural primary school teachers: A chain mediation model

Amidst the unique challenges faced by rural educators is their sense of decent work influenced by levels of social support, career self-efficacy, and marginalization. To investigate these relationships, we surveyed 435 rural school teachers (females = 69.32%, mean years teaching experience = 13.6, SD = 7.7 years). The Structural Equation Modeling results indicated that social support positively predicts teachers’ perceptions of decent work. Career self-efficacy mediated the relationship between social support and a higher sense of decent work, while marginalization mediated the relationship such that lower social support predicted lower perceptions of decent work. Career self-efficacy and marginalization also had a sequential mediation relationship: higher social support enhanced career self-efficacy, which in turn reduced marginalization experiences, ultimately improving teachers’ perceptions of decent work. These findings align with the predictions of Social Cognitive Career Theory and the Psychology of Working Theory, demonstrating that environmental supports enhance personal psychological resources, reduce marginalization risks, and promote positive work-related outcomes. The study findings highlight the necessity for education departments to improve rural teachers’ perceptions of decent work by providing social support to foster positive work experiences for teachers at high risk for marginalization and diminished career self-efficacy.