Psychological Capital in the prediction of Higher Education Teachers’ Well-being: Motivation as a Mediator: A Review of the Literature

Abstract

The main aim of this review of the literature concerns the role of positive psychological capital on teachers’ well-being, and it proposes a new teachers’ well-being model which will be applicable in an educational context and based on the recommendation of earlier studies using a positive psychology capital. The analyses of this study are based on some of the prominent-suggested critiques in teachers’ well-being, its construct and assessment. It reviews the literature using a wide-range of diverse studies on teachers’ well-being in elementary and secondary school focused on the pathological lens and healing specific disorders under a variety of life-threatening conditions across cultural contexts. Seligman and colleagues criticised that psychologists gave much prominence to mental disorders and pathologies, overlooking two crucial missions of the field of psychology: (a) helping healthy people to be happier and more productive, and (b) actualising human potential. Workplaces and educational institutions have been greatly influenced by this paradigm shift beyond other areas and positive psychology. Depending on this purpose, and based on the literature gap and relevance of the issues, this study used a theoretical model by Luthans; Youssef & Avolio (2007)is known as Psychological capital; hedonism well-being of E. Diener (2009a); and Collie R., Shapka, J., Perry, N., & Martin(2015) work-related well-being. Depending on the purpose of this review, the first section provides different empirical pieces of evidence on positive psychological capital (hope, self-efficacy, resilience, and optimism) on teachers’ well-being highlighted. The third section focuses on psychological capital, and each component is discussed. The fourth section emphases the mediation role of motivation. The fifth section provides the link between psychological capital and teachers’ well-being; it discusses the results of relevant research findings. Section six presents the theoretical framework of this study. Since the positive psychological structure is an inclusive model that considers/melds/compresses theoretical and practical aspect, and it has been developed for different organisations, it can be considered as a potential enhancement mechanism of different psychological and work-related problems at the workplace. Lastly, the present study contributes to the further development of a solid, still missing, theory on comprehensive teachers’ well-being, and suggests its implications for educational practice.