The association between teachers’ growth mindset and job satisfaction: the chain mediating role of teacher-student relationship and teacher self-efficacy

IntroductionIn recent years, teacher turnover rates have risen significantly, posing a major challenge to efforts to improve educational quality. Teacher job satisfaction is a key factor influencing teacher turnover. This study applies Self-Determination Theory to explore the indirect associations of teacher-student relationship and self-efficacy in the relationship between teachers’ growth mindset and job satisfaction.MethodsData were drawn from 1,201 teachers in Shanghai who participated in the OECD’s 2024 Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS). Validated scales assessed growth mindset, job satisfaction, teacher-student relationship quality, and self-efficacy. Structural equation modeling and bootstrap analyses were conducted to test direct and indirect effects.ResultsTeachers’ growth mindset is significantly and positively correlated with job satisfaction, teacher-student relationship, and self-efficacy. Both teacher-student relationship and self-efficacy are positively correlated with teacher job satisfaction. Teacher-student relationship is positively correlated with teacher self-efficacy. Teacher-student relationship and self-efficacy not only mediate the relationship between teachers’ growth mindset and job satisfaction independently but also exert a chained mediating effect.ConclusionThese findings underscore that fostering a growth mindset is associated with higher teacher job satisfaction by first enriching teacher-student relationship and subsequently strengthening teachers’ sense of competence. Schools and policymakers should implement integrated interventions, such as cultivating growth mindsets, promoting positive teacher-student interactions, and bolstering self-efficacy, to create a virtuous cycle that sustains teachers job satisfaction.