Guardians in adversity: Job demands, resources, and teachers' willingness to support rural revitalization in Tibetan areas of western China

This study examines why rural teachers persist and support revitalization in a high-altitude Tibetan region of western China. Drawing on survey data from 2936 primary-school teachers and a theory-informed structural equation model, we analyzed links among job demands (burnout, career challenge, effort-reward imbalance), psychological resources (self-efficacy), well-being, job satisfaction, and willingness to contribute. Results showed that demands were negatively related to well-being and satisfaction, whereas self-efficacy was positively associated with both. Unexpectedly, demands also displayed direct positive paths to willingness, and burnout showed a notably strong positive link to willingness and even to well-being. These findings extend dominant models by demonstrating that in frontier rural contexts, certain demands are reframed as meaningful challenges tied to community contribution. The study highlights the importance of efficacy, collegial climates, and recognition of community-facing roles, and calls for longitudinal and multilevel research to probe scope and mechanisms.