LAUSR

We aimed to examine the mediating role of kindergarten teachers’ professional identity and work passion in the relationship between self-efficacy and career resilience. A sample of 662 kindergarten teachers from 30 kindergartens in China completed online surveys (female = 99.2%; mean age = 29.38 years, SD = 2.78 years; mean tenure = 9.27 years, SD = 2.21 years). We collected data on their self-efficacy, professional identity, career resilience, and work passion using validated measures. Structural equation modelling and mediating effect estimation analyses indicated that teacher self-efficacy positively predicted career resilience. Both professional identity and work passion separately mediated the relationship between self-efficacy and career resilience. Furthermore, professional identity and work passion had a chain mediating effect on the relationship between self-efficacy and career resilience, strengthening this relationship. These findings are consistent with work well-being theory. Based on these findings, we propose a need for school systems to support teachers in their professional identity and work passion for greater work well-being.