English teachers' social-emotional competence and occupational burnout: the mediating role of teaching efficacy and the moderating role of perceived organizational support.

Occupational burnout among English teachers has become a pressing concern, yet the mechanisms linking teachers' social-emotional competence (SEC) to burnout remain incompletely understood. This study examined a moderated mediation model in which teaching efficacy mediates the association between SEC and burnout, and perceived organizational support (POS) moderates the SEC-to-teaching efficacy pathway. A cross-sectional survey was administered to 412 English teachers from 24 primary and secondary schools across three cities in Henan Province, China, using measures of SEC, teaching efficacy, POS, and burnout. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the hypothesized four-factor measurement model, and convergent and discriminant validity were established through average variance extracted, composite reliability, and the Fornell-Larcker criterion. Moderated mediation analysis revealed that SEC was negatively associated with burnout, that this association was partially mediated by teaching efficacy, and that POS moderated the SEC-to-teaching efficacy pathway, such that the association was stronger among teachers who perceived higher organizational support. The conditional indirect effect of SEC on burnout through teaching efficacy was stronger at higher levels of POS, and Johnson-Neyman analysis indicated that this moderated pathway held for the overwhelming majority of the sample. These findings suggest that both personal competencies and organizational context shape English teachers' occupational well-being, and they are discussed with respect to theory, the Chinese cultural context, and implications for teacher development and school management. The findings can provide a reference for practice in basic education and also offer implications for talent cultivation in college-level English teacher education programs.