Enhancing teaching quality through physical education teacher exchange: A multilevel moderated mediation model of professional learning and job satisfaction

Despite increasing interest in teacher professional development, limited empirical attention has been given to how structured exchange programs enhance teaching quality, particularly within the context of physical education (PE). Existing research often overlooks the psychological and experiential mechanisms that drive improvements in instructional performance, as well as the contextual factors that condition these effects. This study addresses this gap by examining the influence of PE teacher exchange rotation on teaching quality, with job satisfaction and professional learning as mediators, and cross-cultural competence as a multilevel moderator. Data were collected in two waves from 471 PE teachers nested within 98 school units. Using multilevel structural equation modeling in Mplus, findings revealed that exchange rotation significantly improved teaching quality through both job satisfaction and professional learning. Moreover, cross-cultural competence amplified these indirect effects, suggesting that the capacity to navigate diverse cultural contexts enhances the professional benefits of exchange programs. These results offer actionable insights for educational policymakers and school leaders seeking to maximize the impact of teacher mobility initiatives.