How to firmly retain: Teachers’ social-emotional competence and job burnout under the conservation of resources theory

Siyi Zhang, Di Guan, Yaqing Mao^*, Jin Tian
Faculty of Education, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
* Corresponding Author: Yaqing Mao. Email: email

Journal of Psychology in Africa https://doi.org/10.32604/jpa.2026.074539

Received 13 October 2025; Accepted 27 April 2026; Published online 30 June 2026

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Abstract

Teacher burnout has become a widespread concern in high-pressure educational systems, particularly in China, where teachers face increasing instructional demands and emotional labor. Although teachers’ social-emotional competence has been recognized as an important personal resource, the mechanisms through which it alleviates job burnout remain insufficiently understood. Grounded in the Conservation of Resources theory, this study explored the mediating roles of teacher-student relationship and teaching efficacy in the association between teachers’ social-emotional competence and job burnout. The participants were 807 Chinese teachers (female = 81.7%; male = 18.3%; mean teaching ages = 3.57 years; SD = 1.81 years), using a cluster sampling method. The mediating effect was analyzed using structural equation modeling. The results showed that teachers’ social-emotional competence associated with lower job burnout. Both teacher-student relationship and teaching efficacy served as independent mediators of the relationship between teachers’ social-emotional competence and job burnout. Teacher-student relationship was associated with higher teaching efficacy. Teacher-student relationship and teaching efficacy not only served as independent mediators between teachers’ social-emotional competence and job burnout but also played a chain mediating role. Specifically, higher social-emotional competence helped teachers build better teacher-student relationship, which in turn enhanced their teaching efficacy, ultimately leading to lower job burnout. Consistent with the Conservation of Resources theory, findings suggest incorporating social emotional learning into professional development to buffer teacher burnout, foster instructional confidence, and retain a resilient workforce.