How school climate and collective efficacy shape secondary school English teachers’ well-being : the mediating role of empathy

Abstract

Teacher well-being has become a growing concern in educational research, as it contributes to shaping classroom effectiveness, students’ learning, and teacher retention. Research on teacher well-being in Indonesia, particularly among English language teachers, has identified various determinants. However, the interaction between environmental (school climate and collective teacher efficacy) and individual (empathy) factors remains underexplored. This research primarily aims to examine the mediating role of empathy in the relationship between school climate and collective teacher efficacy. Employing non-experimental quantitative research with a cross-sectional design and convenience sampling technique, this research involved a total of 308 Junior and Senior High School English teachers in the Special Region of Jakarta. The data were collected through several questionnaires and analysed descriptively based on the Rasch model analysis approach, as well as correlation and mediation analysis of inferential statistics. The analyses were performed using Winstpes and SPSS Statistics software with the process mediation tools. The research revealed that empathy partially mediates the link between school climate, collective efficacy, and teacher well-being, suggesting that these environmental factors influence well-being both directly and indirectly through empathy. Moreover, this research also indicated a high level of perceived school climate, collective teachers’ efficacy, empathy, and well-being among English teachers in the Special Region of Jakarta. These findings significantly contribute to understanding the psychological dynamics between the relationship of the work environmental factors (school climate and collective teacher efficacy) and teacher well-being, with empathy as a significant mediating factor. Practically, the results highlight the value of integrating empathy training into professional development to improve teachers’ well-being.