Factors Influencing Job Satisfaction in Chinese Private Universities: The Mediating Role of Work Engagement

Authors

  • Zhang Xin
  • Chidchanok Inthong

Keywords:

Job Characteristics, Perceived Organizational Support, Self-Efficacy, Social Support, Work Engagement, Innovative Engagement, Job Satisfaction

Abstract

This study investigates the impact of job characteristics, perceived organizational support, self-efficacy, and social support on job satisfaction among teachers in private universities in Shandong Province, China, with work engagement as a mediating variable. Using a mixed-methods approach, data were collected from 400 full-time teachers at eight private undergraduate institutions through structured questionnaires and in-depth interviews. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to test the research hypotheses. The results revealed that work engagement played a significant partial mediating role between the four antecedent variables and job satisfaction, with the mediation proportion stabilizing between 49.3% and 50.7%. Job characteristics demonstrated the strongest effect on work engagement (beta = 0.31, p < 0.001), followed by self-efficacy (beta = 0.29, p < 0.001), perceived organizational support (beta = 0.27, p < 0.001), and social support (beta = 0.20, p < 0.001). The findings provide theoretical contributions to the Job Demands-Resources theory and offer practical implications for human resource management in resource-constrained private higher education institutions. Additionally, qualitative thematic analysis of in-depth interviews with 23 key informants revealed five core themes: autonomy in content sequencing, real-time classroom feedback, ritualistic training, interdisciplinary collaboration, student participatory feedback, and adaptive perspectives on salary satisfaction. These qualitative findings complement and explain the quantitative results, illuminating why job characteristics have stronger effects on younger faculty and why a gap exists between formal and substantive organizational support.

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Published

2026-06-26

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Section

บทความวิจัย (Research Article)