Role of Self-Efficacy and Belongingness in Mitigating Teacher Burnout: Evidence from Shandong Province Private Universities

Abstract

Guided by the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model, Social Cognitive Theory, and Social Support Theory, this study investigates how teacher self-efficacy and sense of belonging associated with occupational burnout among faculty in private universities in Shandong Province, China. A cross-sectional survey was carried out for 250 full and part-time instructors across several private universities. Data were collected using adapted versions of the Teacher Sense of Efficacy Scale, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, and the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Educators Survey. The data was analyzed through descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations, and multiple regression in SPSS. Measures captured levels of self-efficacy, belongingness, and burnout to test their relationships. Results revealed a positive association between teacher self-efficacy and sense of belonging, and both were significantly and negatively related to burnout. Personal and social resources are associated with teacher burnout, underscoring their synergistic role. Together, these findings highlight the importance of integrating individual psychological resources and social-contextual factors when examining faculty well-being. The findings enrich theoretical models of faculty well-being and offer practical guidance for interventions that strengthen self-efficacy and belongingness to enhance retention in the growing private higher-education sector.