ISSN: 2222-6990
Open access
Purpose: The research delves into the mediating effect of job satisfaction on the associations between psychological capital (PsyCap), emotional intelligence (EI), and work engagement among Chinese vocational college teachers. Design/methodology/approach: Grounded in the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) Model and Social Exchange Theory, we tested a theoretical framework by surveying 509 full-time college teachers in Yunnan Province, China. Data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). Findings: Results revealed that: (1) PsyCap (specifically hope) and EI (specifically use of emotion and others’ emotion appraisal) positively predict job satisfaction; (2) PsyCap (specifically hope) and EI (specifically use of emotion) positively predict work engagement; (3) job satisfaction positively predicts work engagement; (4) job satisfaction partially mediates the PsyCap- work engagement relationship and the EI- work engagement relationship. Originality/value: This study makes three key contributions to existing knowledge. First, it breaks from the traditional approach of treating PsyCap and EI as holistic constructs, instead unpacking their subdimensions to identify that only “hope” (PsyCap) and “use of emotion/others’ emotion appraisal” (EI) significantly influence job satisfaction and work engagement—highlighting the need for context-specific analysis of latent constructs. Second, it validates the applicability of the JD-R Model and Social Exchange Theory in China’s vocational education context, extending the theories’ utility beyond Western settings and university education. Third, it addresses a research gap by focusing on vocational college teachers (a group understudied despite their importance to China’s vocational education strategy), providing the first empirical evidence of how PsyCap, EI, and job satisfaction interact to shape their work engagement.
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