School climate as a predictor of teacher job satisfaction and occupational well-being: TALIS 2018 evidence from Central and Eastern Europe

Building on evidence that contextual factors shape teacher outcomes, this study analysed TALIS 2018 data from six Central and Eastern European countries to compare the relative influence of school climate and socioeconomic status (SES) on teacher job satisfaction and occupational well-being.Multigroup structural equation models revealed that school climate-particularly distributed leadership, measured by stakeholders' (staff, students, and parents) participation in decision-making-explained substantially more variance in both satisfaction and well-being than an aggregate school SES measure.Positive teacher--student relationships also contributed to higher satisfaction, whereas elevated work-related stress-most strongly predicted by a negative disciplinary climate and, unexpectedly, by weaker stakeholder participation-served as the primary detractor.Although higher SES schools showed a modest direct boost in teacher satisfaction, SES was unrelated to stress levels or climate quality.Cross-country comparisons indicated that the strength of these associations, especially for distributed leadership, varied markedly by national context.These findings suggest that participatory governance, strengthening classroom relationships, and targeting disciplinary supports may enhance teacher well-being.