Modeling EFL teachers’ TPACK, self-efficacy, happiness, and job satisfaction: an explanatory sequential mixed-methods study of self-efficacy as a statistical mediator

As technology integration becomes a routine expectation in EFL teaching, teachers’ Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) may function not only as an instructional competence but also as a professional resource linked to well-being. However, the extent to which TPACK is associated with teacher happiness and job satisfaction through self-efficacy remains underexplored, particularly in EFL contexts. This study examined the associations among EFL teachers’ TPACK, self-efficacy, happiness, and job satisfaction and assessed whether self-efficacy statistically accounted for part of the associations between perceived TPACK and the two well-being outcomes. An explanatory sequential mixed-methods design (quantitative → qualitative) was used. In Phase 1, cross-sectional survey data were collected from 460 full-time EFL teachers (primary, junior high, and high school) in Lyuliang, Shanxi, China, using convenience sampling. Chinese-language versions of the TPACK scale, the Teacher Self-Efficacy Scale (TSES), the Teacher Happiness Scale, and the Job Satisfaction Survey (JSS) were administered. Data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) in SmartPLS. In Phase 2, semi-structured interviews with 26 purposively selected teachers were conducted to explain the quantitative relationships. Reporting was also checked against the GRAMMS and COREQ guidelines, and the completed checklist is supplied as Supplementary File 1. TPACK was positively associated with self-efficacy, and self-efficacy was positively associated with both teacher happiness and job satisfaction. TPACK also showed significant direct associations with both well-being outcomes. The bootstrapped indirect associations through self-efficacy were statistically significant, a pattern conventionally described as partial mediation. Given the single-wave design, this pattern does not establish temporal ordering or a psychological mechanism. The qualitative findings extended and qualified the modeled associations by identifying pedagogically aligned technology use, mastery experiences, collegial support, professional development, workload, and infrastructure as relevant conditions in teachers’ accounts. Perceived TPACK was associated with EFL teachers’ happiness and job satisfaction both directly and indirectly through self-efficacy in the specified statistical model, while interview accounts indicated that these associations varied with infrastructure, workload, and collegial and professional support. Because the survey was single-wave, self-reported, and based on convenience sampling within a single region, the mediation estimates reflect a modeled pattern of association; reverse and reciprocal relationships remain plausible. Longitudinal and multisource studies are needed to evaluate temporal ordering and whether changes in TPACK and self-efficacy precede changes in well-being.