Factors Impacting Teachers' Happiness on Higher Education in Zhanjiang University of Science and Technology, China
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14456/shserj.2025.62Keywords:
Teachers' Wealth, Teachers' Health, Sense of Gain, Sense of Fairness, Teachers' HappinessAbstract
Purpose: The study explores the correlation between factors such as teachers' income, teachers' wealth, teachers' health, sense of gain, sense of fairness, and teachers' happiness. By strengthening the influencing factors, an appropriate strategic plan is identified to enhance teachers' happiness level ultimately. Research design, data, and methodology: The study employed the Instrument of Organization Culture (IOC) as a measure of validity and Cronbach's alpha (n=30) as a measure of reliability. Multiple linear regression (MLR) analysis was conducted on the valid questionnaires of 228 teachers from Zhanjiang University of Science and Technology to validate the significant relationships between variables. Subsequently, a strategic plan was implemented for 16 weeks involving a selected group of 30 teachers. Quantitative pre- and post-strategic plan stage results were compared using paired-sample t-tests. Results: In the multiple linear regression study, we found that teachers' income, teachers' wealth, teachers' health, sense of gain, and sense of fairness have a significant impact on teachers' happiness. The results of the paired-sample t-test indicate that all variables between the pre-and post-strategic plan stages show significant differences. Conclusions: Teachers' income, teachers' wealth, teachers' health, sense of gain, and sense of fairness can enhance the happiness of teachers at Zhanjiang University of Science and Technology.
References
Anasori, E., Kucukergin, K. G., Soliman, M., Tulucu, F., & Altinay, L. (2022). How can the subjective well-being of nurses be predicted? Understanding the mediating effect of psychological distress, psychological resilience, and emotional exhaustion. Journal of Service Theory and Practice, 32(6), 762-780. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSTP-01-2022-0008
Atkinson, E. S. (2000). An investigation into the relationship between teacher motivation and pupil motivation. Educational Psychology, 20(1), 45-57. https://doi.org/10.1080/014434100110371
Capone, V., & Petrillo, G. (2020). Mental health in teachers: Relationships with job satisfaction, efficacy beliefs, burnout, and depression. Current Psychology, 39(5), 1757-1766. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-018-9878-7
Cheng, S. (2021). Generalization from physical education to recess during an elementary sport education season. Journal of Teaching in Physical Education (ahead print).
Cheng, Y. (2020). A second-order closure turbulence model: New heat flux equations and no critical Richardson number. J. Atmos. Sci., 77(8), 2743-2759. https://doi.org/10.1175/jas-d-19-0240.1
Clark, A., Frijters, P., & Shields, M. A. (2008). Relative income, happiness, and utility: An explanation for the Easterlin paradox and other puzzles. Journal of Economic Literature, 46(1), 95-144. https://doi.org/10.1257/jel.46.1.95
Cui, Q., & Zhang, X. (2006). Analysis of the welfare system for American teachers. C International and Comparative Education, 9(1), 52-55.
Day, C., & Gu, Q. (2009). Teacher emotions: Well-being and effectiveness. In P. A. Schutz and M. Zembylas (Eds.), Advances in teacher e-motion research: The impact on teachers' lives (pp. 15-31). Springer.
Deng, T., & Li, Y. (2021). The influence of professional development space on teachers' occupational well-being: A moderated mediation model. Modern Education Management, 9(1), 81-89. https://doi.org/10.16697/j.1674-5485.2021.09.011
Diener, E., Emmons, R., Larsen, R., & Griffin, S. (1985). The Satisfaction with Life Scale. Journal of personality assessment, 49(1), 71-75. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327752jpa4901_13
Dzuka, J., & Dalbert, C. (2007). Student Violence Against Teachers: Teachers' Well-Being and the Belief in a Just World. European Psychologist, 12(4), 253-260. https://doi.org/10.1027/1016-9040.12.4.253
Gashi, D., Gallopeni, F., Greta, I., & Shahini, M. (2022). The relationship between big five personality traits, coping strategies, and emotional problems through the COVID-19 pandemic. Curr Psychol, 14(1), 1-10.
Goldberg, D. P., & Williams, P. (1988). A User’s Guide to the General Health Questionnaire (1st ed.). Nelson.
Greenberg, J., & Leventhal, G. S. (1976). Equity and the use of overreward to motivate performance. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 34(2), 179-190. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.34.2.179
Hair, J. F., Anderson, R. E., Tatham, R. L., & Black, W. C. (1995). Multivariate Data Analysis (3rd ed.). Macmillan.
Jebb, A. T., Tay, L., Diener, E., & Oishi, S. (2018). Happiness, income satiation, and turning points around the world. Nat Hum Behav 2, 33-38. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-017-0277-0
Jiang, C., & He, P. (2022). The impact of occupational stress of young college teachers on subjective well-being: The mediating effect of psychological capital. Journal of Jilin Engineering Normal University, 38(8), 30-33.
Layard, R., Mayraz, G., & Nickell, S. J. (2008). The marginal utility of income. Journal of Public Economics, 92(8-9), 1846-1857. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpubeco.2008.01.007
Leventhal, G. S. (1980). What should be done with equity theory? New approaches to the study of fairness in social relationships. In K. Gergen, M. Greenberg, and R. Willis (Eds.), Social exchange: Advances in theory and research (pp. 27-55). Plenum Press.
Li, J., & Hu, Y. (2022). Development and Quality Evaluation of Measurement Tools for Salary Satisfaction of University Teachers in China. Modern Education Management, 2(1), 102-110. https://doi.org/10.16697/j.1674-5485.2022.02.012
Liang, H., & Gao, M. (2021). An Empirical Study on the Impact of Professional Development Equity on Teachers' Occupational Cognitive Happiness. Modern Education Management, 9(1), 90-98.
Liu, X., & Cao, Y. (2016). Correlation between job satisfaction and subjective well-being of primary and secondary school teachers. Teaching & Management, 21(3), 17-19.
Liu, X., & Dong, H. (2009). Analysis of decent work and occupational welfare. Study and Practice, 11(6), 140-143. https://doi.org/10.19624/j.cnki.cn42-1005/c.2009.11.019
Liu, Z., & Zeng, Z. (2021). Correlation between positive psychological qualities and occupational well-being of young college teachers: A case study of colleges and universities in Jiangxi Province. Journal of Jiangxi University of Science and Technology, 42(6), 71-77. https://doi.org/10.13265/j.cnki.jxlgdxxb.2021.06.011
Metsch, L. R., & Pollack, H. A. (2005). Welfare reform and substance abuse. The Milbank Quarterly, 83(1), 65-99. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0887-378X.2005.00336.x
Murphy, T. R. N., & Mannix-McNamara, P. (2021). International Perspectives on Teacher Well-Being and Diversity: Portals into Innovative Classroom Practice. Understanding Teaching-Learning Practice, 2, 189-197.
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-1699-0_9
Perie, M., & Baker, D. P. (1997). Job satisfaction among America's teachers: Effects of workplace conditions, background characteristics, and teacher compensation. Statistical Analysis Report Elementary School Teachers, 5(2), 133-140
Qiao, W. T. (2022). The influence of rural tourism public service on tourists' behavioral intention after travel-Based on the mediating role of Well-being, Sense of gain and Sense of security [Doctoral dissertation]. Shanxi University of Finance & Economics.
Scott, H. (1998). Careful Planning or Serendipity? Promoting Well-Being through Teacher Induction (1st ed.). ERIC.
Sekaran, U. (1992). Research Methods for Business: A Skill-Building Approach (1st ed.). John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Shao, W. (2022). Study on influencing factors and promotion strategies of farmers' well-being [Doctoral dissertation]. Yantai University.
Song, A. (2017). The impact of organizational fairness on teacher dedication: The mediating role of return satisfaction. Journal of Tianjin Normal University (Social Sciences), 1(4), 54-58.
Stevenson, B., & Wolfers, J. (2013). Subjective well-being and income: Is there any evidence of satiation? American Economic Review, 103(3), 598-604. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2265690
Wang, Z., Ye, P., & Fan, J. (2010). Research on the derivative problems and potential impact of university debts. Journal of Graduate Education, 1(3), 6-9.
Wu, X. (2022). Which key factors affect the job satisfaction of rural teachers?. Education & Economy, 38(2), 62-69.
Xiao, X. (2022). Research on the strategies of improving the occupational well-being of university teachers based on the perspective of psychological capital. Journal of Jilin TV & Radio University, 4(4), 87-89.
Xing, T. (2020). Research on the Relationship between Occupational Sense of Achievement of Primary School Teachers and Organizational Justice and Turnover Intention [Doctoral dissertation]. Zhejiang Normal University. https://doi.org/10.27464/d.cnki.gzsfu.2020.000408
Yang, Y. (2009). Current disorder phenomenon of vocational welfare in China and its social impact. Theory Monthly, 4(6), 98-100.
Yao, R. (2019). Survey of current situation of Chinese primary and secondary school teachers' well-being and educational suggestions. Chinese Journal of Special Education, 3(2), 90-96.
Yao, Z., Ling, H., Zhang, J., Wen, Y., Yang, Z., & Ning, T. (2016). The relationship between job stress, job satisfaction, and occupational well-being of primary and secondary school teachers. China Journal of Health Psychology, 24(8), 1159-1162. https://doi.org/10.13342/j.cnki.cjhp.2016.08.012
Zhao, Y., Sang, B., Ding, C., Li, T., Wu, J., & Xia, Y. (2023). Moderating effect of work stress on the relationship between workload and professional identity among in-service teachers. Current Psychology, 42, 25822-25831.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Qinghua Xie
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
The submitting author warrants that the submission is original and that she/he is the author of the submission together with the named co-authors; to the extend the submission incorporates text passages, figures, data, or other material from the work of others, the submitting author has obtained any necessary permission.
Articles in this journal are published under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC-BY What does this mean?). This is to get more legal certainty about what readers can do with published articles, and thus a wider dissemination and archiving, which in turn makes publishing with this journal more valuable for you, the authors.
