Examining the relationships between college teaching self-efficacy, job stress and job satisfaction of Chinese university teachers

Faculty’s job satisfaction has been found to be a predictor of their intention to leave academia. As colleges and universities are experiencing high levels of faculty turnover, hiring and retaining effective faculty members has created a need to take a closer look at the factors that influence faculty’s job satisfaction. The purpose of this study was to use social cognitive career theory to examine the relationships between college teaching self-efficacy, job stress and job satisfaction of Chinese university teachers to identify the significant predictors of job satisfaction. This study employed a cross-sectional survey design in which university teachers teaching in colleges and universities in China were surveyed to gather the quantitative data on their perceptions of college teaching self-efficacy, job stress and job satisfaction. The relationships between college teaching self-efficacy, job stress and job satisfaction were examined by using mediation analysis. Results of descriptive statistics showed that Chinese university teachers experienced a high level of college teaching self-efficacy, little to moderate level of job stress and moderate level of job satisfaction. Female and male teachers reported no difference in the level of college teaching self-efficacy, job stress and job satisfaction. Assistant instructors had lower level of college teaching self-efficacy beliefs than lecturers, associate professors, and professors. However, lecturers, associate professors, and professors had the same level of college teaching self-efficacy beliefs. Results also showed that female and male teachers showed no difference in the level of job stress and job satisfaction. Assistant instructors, lecturers, associate professors, and professors had the same level of job stress and job satisfaction. Results of mediation analysis showed that college teaching self-efficacy and job stress were two factors that predicted job satisfaction. The results also indicated that college teaching self-efficacy had positive relationship with job satisfaction, but job stress had negative relationship with job satisfaction. In addition, the findings of the study showed that job stress was negatively related to teaching self-efficacy, and college teaching self-efficacy mediated the relationship between job stress and job satisfaction. These findings provide a better understanding of the relationship between college teaching self-efficacy, job stress and job satisfaction for those who are doing research in the field of job satisfaction. These findings also make theoretical and practical contributions.

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