Open Access

ARTICLE

Uncovering the Mediating Role of Teacher Anxiety on the Relationship between Teacher Self-Efficacy and Teacher Work Engagement in the Online Context

Honggang Liu¹, Xiaobing Lu^2,*, Bin Chen¹, Xu Wang¹, Miaoyue Xia^3,4,*
1 School of Foreign Languages, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215006, China
2 Department of Applied Foreign Language Studies, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210033, China
3 School of Foreign Studies, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China
4 Schools of English Studies, Sichuan International Studies University, Chongqing, 400031, China
* Corresponding Author: Xiaobing Lu. Email: ; Miaoyue Xia. Email:

International Journal of Mental Health Promotion https://doi.org/10.32604/ijmhp.2024.057771

Received 27 August 2024; Accepted 20 November 2024; Published online 19 December 2024

Abstract

Background: With the widespread adoption of synchronous online instruction, concerns have arisen regarding teachers’ professional functioning in this new context. While previous studies have extensively explored teacher psychology, the control-value theory (CVT) provides additional insights into teachers’ experiences. As limited research has specifically addressed the psychological experiences of primary school teachers in online teaching settings, this study investigated the relationships among teachers’ online self-efficacy, anxiety, and engagement through the CVT framework. Methods: This study employed a quantitative research design, conducting a questionnaire survey of 1037 Chinese primary school teachers recruited through convenience and snowball sampling. Exploratory Structural Equation Modelling was first applied to validate the constructs. Subsequently, a structural equation model was developed and tested to examine the relationships between the key variables. A mediation analysis further explored the indirect effect of teacher self-efficacy on engagement through anxiety, consistent with CVT propositions. Results: Structural Equation Modelling results revealed that teachers’ self-efficacy was a significant predictor of both anxiety (β = −0.165, p < 0.001) and engagement (β = 0.707, p < 0.001). Anxiety also significantly predicted engagement (β = −0.097, p < 0.001). Mediation analysis further demonstrated that anxiety partially mediated the relationship between self-efficacy and engagement (β = 0.016). Conclusion: While anxiety can impede teachers’ full engagement in online teaching, self-efficacy appears to buffer against anxiety’s negative effects, ultimately enhancing teaching effectiveness. These findings offer valuable insights for improving teachers’ online teaching experiences and optimizing educational outcomes in digital environments.

---

Keywords

Control-value theory; teacher self-efficacy; teacher anxiety; teacher work engagement; online education; mediation model

---