Mindfulness, psychological resilience, and well-being as predictors of professional identity among early childhood teachers.

Abstract

Although previous studies have explored factors influencing teachers' professional identity, limited attention has been given to its underlying psychological mechanisms from a metacognitive perspective. In particular, few studies have examined how mindfulness, a core psychological resource, relates to professional identity among early childhood education teachers, a group facing unique emotional and occupational challenges. This study aims to investigate the relationships among mindfulness, psychological resilience, well-being, and professional identity among early childhood education teachers. It focuses on how mindfulness, as a metacognitive psychological resource, is associated with professional identity directly and indirectly through psychological resilience and well-being. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 854 full-time kindergarten teachers (48 males and 806 females; Mage = 30.36, SDage = 6.87,) from Shandong Province, China. Validated instruments were used to assess mindfulness, psychological resilience, well-being, and professional identity. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to examine direct and mediated effects, and demographic variables such as age, gender, education level, and income were controlled in the analysis. The results demonstrated that mindfulness was positively associated with professional identity (β = 0.15, p < 0.05). Psychological resilience significantly mediated this relationship (β = 0.52, p < 0.001), accounting for 55.5% of the total indirect effect. Well-being also served as an independent mediator (β = 0.21, p < 0.001), accounting for 22.6% of the total effect. In addition, a sequential mediation pathway was identified, in which psychological resilience and well-being sequentially mediated the relationship between mindfulness and professional identity (β = 0.03, p < 0.001). The findings highlight mindfulness as a critical factor in strengthening professional identity among early childhood educators by enhancing both psychological resilience and well-being. These results contribute to professional identity theory by incorporating metacognitive and psychological constructs, and also provide practical implications: integrating mindfulness-based interventions (e.g., mindfulness meditation, stress-reduction programs) into teacher training can help educators enhance emotion regulation and resilience. Additionally, creating supportive and caring work environments may further promote teachers' well-being and sustainable professional development.

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