From leadership research to district action: Constructing a model of the factors related to the job wellbeing of preschool teachers in China: a grounded theory study

AI-assisted editorial implementation guide. Proposed district actions are separate from the original authors’ findings and recommendations. Independent peer review of this guide is not asserted.

Read source Search paper agent CC BY 4.0

Evidence and transfer

Education-related source: verify which participants, institutions and outcomes were actually studied before district adoption. Source publication type: research-article. License and identity checks do not establish study quality or causality.

Original authors’ abstract, reproduced under the source license:

Introduction As educational management research evolves, leadership styles are increasingly recognized as crucial managerial skills. Among various leadership approaches, empowering leadership has been found to significantly enhance employee job performance and satisfaction. However, there is limited research exploring the relationship between empowering leadership and the job wellbeing of preschool teachers in the educational sector. Methods This study examines the relationship between empowering leadership and preschool teachers' job wellbeing using the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 preschool teachers and 12 kindergarten leaders in China. The qualitative data collected were analyzed using grounded theory to identify themes and construct a systematic model. Results The findings suggest that empowering leadership of kindergarten principals is positively related to preschool teachers' job wellbeing. This relationship is mediated through stress pathways, such as work pressure and burnout, as well as through enhanced organizational support and a positive work environment. Furthermore, empowering leadership influences teachers' personal motivation and work engagement, which in turn impacts their job wellbeing. Discussion The study highlights the importance of empowering leadership in improving preschool teachers' wellbeing. By addressing stress factors, enhancing organizational support, and promoting personal motivation, empowering leadership can foster a more supportive and engaging work environment. These findings have practical implications for leadership practices in early childhood education settings.

Study methods

Grounded Theory, as a social science research method, is widely used in fields such as education and sociology to explain and understand human behavior and social phenomena (34). It emphasizes collecting and analyzing data through a series of coding and analysis procedures, using inductive and interpretive methods to form and construct theories, thereby helping researchers to explain and understand research phenomena more deeply (35). Given its effectiveness in theory construction, this study adopted a qualitative research method and used Grounded Theory for in-depth analysis to explore the factors related to Chinese kindergarten teachers' job wellbeing. This study aimed to identify and understand the challenges faced by kindergarten teachers in the current educational environment, and their specific effects on their job wellbeing, thereby constructing a model of factors and processes correlated with kindergarten teachers' job wellbeing.

Limitations

This study has several inherent limitations that need to be acknowledged. First, the use of a small qualitative sample is a limitation, as it restricts the broader generalizability of the findings. While the sample size was sufficient to achieve theoretical saturation in grounded theory research, the findings may not be fully representative of all preschool teachers in China. The grounded theory approach provided in-depth insights into the factors related to preschool teachers' job wellbeing; however, the small sample size may limit the conclusions to specific contexts. Future research could address this limitation by using larger quantitative samples or employing mixed-method approaches to validate and expand on these findings, thus providing additional insights and uncovering region-specific differences and more varied experiences across different types of educational settings. Second, the reliance on qualitative interviews may have introduced subjective biases, as participants' responses could be influenced by their personal experiences or perceptions of the research context. Future studies could use longitudinal data collection to track changes in teachers' wellbeing over time, which would provide a more dynamic understanding of how job wellbeing evolves and how different leadership styles are related to this evolution (71). Furthermore, from the perspective of positive psychology, providing a good work environment and conditions can not only ignite teachers' enthusiasm and proactivity, but can also enhance their work performance. Future studies could investigate how specific work environment improvements or support measures could further enhance preschool teachers' job wellbeing, particularly in the face of challenges such as workload and resource constraints. By focusing on practical interventions that improve the work environment (66), future research can contribute to developing actionable strategies that educational managers can implement to improve teachers' wellbeing and job satisfaction (15).

A 90-day district inquiry

Days 1–15 · Appraise. Read the source methods, recruitment, comparator, outcomes and limitations. Record how the study setting differs from your district and which claim the design can support.
Days 16–30 · Design. Map one recurring source of staff workload with voluntary staff input. Agree one reversible schedule, support or task-allocation change and name its owner. Agree participation, privacy protections, baseline and stopping rules before starting.
Days 31–60 · Observe. Collect the pre-agreed measures, keep a log of implementation changes and invite confidential voluntary feedback. Preserve existing support for staff and learners.
Days 61–90 · Decide. Compare workload hours, a consistent voluntary wellbeing measure, absence and retention intentions with the pre-pilot baseline. Report response rates and avoid causal claims from an uncontrolled comparison. Make a dated decision to stop, revise or extend the inquiry.

Board decision brief

Present the local problem, source setting, evidence limits, intervention, responsible owner, total cost, measured changes and uncertainty. Separate staff perceptions, implementation measures and student learning outcomes.

Attribution and reuse

Li-Ying Nong; Chen Liao; Jian-Hong Ye. Constructing a model of the factors related to the job wellbeing of preschool teachers in China: a grounded theory study. Frontiers in Public Health (2025-01-15). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1497629

Prepared 2026-11-07. Source authorship and DOI are preserved. The abstract and source passages are attributed extracts; this editorial guide is offered under the same CC BY 4.0 license.