The Effect of Professional Identity of Community Child Center Workers on Job Satisfaction: The Moderated Mediation Effect of Self-efficacy by Center Location

This study analyzed the influence of professional identity on jobsatisfaction among community children's center workers and examined the mediatingeffect of self-efficacy and the moderating effect of center location. A structuredsurvey was conducted with 326 legally mandated workers in the Seoul andGyeonggi regions, and the results were analyzed using PROCESS Macro Model 14. The results revealed that professional identity had a significant positive effect onjob satisfaction, and self-efficacy partially mediated this relationship. Notably, thestrength of the mediation effect differed by center location, suggesting that regionalenvironments may influence workers' utilization of psychological resources. Thisstudy differs from previous studies in demonstrating a moderated mediating effectthat reflects regional context, suggesting the need for regionally tailored actionstrategies to enhance job satisfaction. However, simplified regional categorizationand a measurement tool that sufficiently reflects psychological factors were pointedout as limitations. Reflecting these limitations, future research should incorporateparallel qualitative studies and the development of field-specific scales.