The relationship between preschool teachers’ sense of teaching efficacy and turnover intention during the COVID-19 pandemic: a mediation model

Abstract

ABSTRACT During the COVID-19 pandemic period, preschool teachers experienced a hard time in which they were required to implement relevant epidemic prevention policies to ensure the health of young children, increasing their work engagement, work stress, and turnover intention. This study examined the relationship between Chinese preschool teachers’ sense of teaching efficacy and turnover intention based on the JD-R model, with work engagement and work stress serving as the mediators during the COVID-19 pandemic. Altogether 388 Chinese preschool teachers were recruited and surveyed online. The results indicated that (1) preschool teachers’ teaching efficacy was not associated with turnover intention directly; (2) preschool teachers’ teaching efficacy was associated with turnover intention indirectly through work engagement and work stress. These findings implied that preschool principals should take measures to improve preschool teachers’ teaching efficacy and work engagement, provide support to help them better cope with work stress, leading to decreased turnover intention, and getting through difficult times.