Job Satisfaction, Work Engagement, and Organizational Citizenship Behavior among Preschool Teachers: Mediating Mechanisms

Preschool education constitutes the foundation of children’s academic and socio-emotional development, and preschool teachers play a critical role in shaping these early learning experiences. This study investigates the relationships between Job Satisfaction (JS), Work Engagement (WE), and Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB) among preschool teachers, with particular attention to underlying mediating mechanisms. A total of 408 preschool teachers participated in a questionnaire survey. The instrument demonstrated strong content validity and excellent internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = 0.962). Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was employed to assess the overall model fit and to estimate the direct and indirect effects among the constructs. In the proposed model, OCB is specified as the outcome variable, JS as the primary antecedent, and WE, Psychological Empowerment (PE), and Emotional Intelligence (EI) as key mediators. JS exerted substantial positive effects on WE (β = 0.621), PE (β = 0.538), and EI (β = 0.492). In turn, WE (β = 0.683), PE (β = 0.318), and EI (β = 0.294) significantly predicted OCB. Indirect effect estimates confirmed the mediating roles of WE, PE, and EI in the relationship between JS and OCB. The findings underscore the centrality of JS and the importance of enhancing WE, PE, and EI to foster positive discretionary behaviors among preschool teachers and to strengthen organizational functioning in early childhood education settings.