While teaching is a rewarding profession, its inherent stress often undermines job satisfaction, highlighting the need to understand factors that influence this relationship. This study investigated the mediating role of teacher self-efficacy (TSE) in the association between occupational stress and job satisfaction using data from the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA). Drawing on the Transactional Model of Stress and Social Cognitive Theory, the study analyzed responses from 68054 teachers across 18 countries. Linear regression and structural equation modeling (SEM) analyses were employed to investigate direct and indirect effects. The findings revealed that while occupational stress significantly and negatively predicted both TSE and job satisfaction, TSE was found as a significant and positive predictor of job satisfaction. Mediation analysis confirmed the partial mediator role of TSE, accounting for %14.6 of the total effect. These findings highlighted the buffering role of TSE in mitigating the adverse impact of occupational stress on job satisfaction. The findings offer key implications for teacher training, policy, and leadership by emphasizing the role of TSE.
Ekici et al. (Wed,) studied this question.