Dominic Owusu

Purpose: Teaching is widely recognised as a psychologically demanding profession, with sustained exposure to work‐related stressors posing risks to teachers' mental well‐being and professional functioning. Drawing on the ‘Job Demands‐Resources model and Self‐Determination Theory’, this study examined how teachers' psychological capital (PsyCap), a core positive psychological resource, relates to ‘professional commitment (PC)’ and whether ‘job satisfaction (JS) and subjective well‐being (SWB)’ mediate this relationship. Method: A ‘descriptive cross‐sectional survey design’ was employed, with data collected from 225 basic school teachers using a simple random sampling technique. ‘Partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS‐SEM)’ was utilised to test the proposed direct and mediating relationships among the study variables. Finding: The results indicated that PsyCap had significant positive effects on ‘teachers' job satisfaction, subjective well‐being, and professional commitment’. Subjective well‐being partially mediated the relationship between ‘PsyCap and professional commitment’, highlighting well‐being as a key psychological mechanism linking personal psychological resources to work‐related behavioural outcomes. In contrast, ‘job satisfaction neither predicted professional commitment nor mediated the PsyCap‐commitment’ relationship. Conclusion: Psychological capital enhances teachers' professional commitment primarily through subjective well‐being rather than job satisfaction. Educational authorities should strengthen teachers' psychological capital and well‐being to sustain commitment and improve professional outcomes in demanding educational contexts.

Purpose: Emotional intelligence (EI) plays a crucial role in shaping teachers' confidence in the classroom. As educators face increasing challenges in today's dynamic educational environment, understanding how EI influences teaching self‐efficacy is essential for enhancing instructional quality. This study investigates the influence of EI on the teachers' self‐efficacy (TSE) of Senior High School (SHS) Economics teachers in Ghana. It further examines the mediating role of creativity‐nurturing behavior (CNB) and the moderating role of metacognitive awareness (MA) in this relationship. Method: A descriptive cross‐sectional survey design was employed, involving a census of 180 SHS Economics teachers from the Kumasi Metropolis of Ghana. Data were collected using adapted scales for EI, CNB, MA, and TSE. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS‐SEM) was used to analyze the data and test the moderated mediation model. Finding: The findings revealed that EI significantly influenced CNB and TSE. Additionally, the study identified that CNB had a significant positive effect on TSE. CNB partially mediated the positive relationship between EI and TSE. MA negatively moderated the relationship between EI and CNB. Again, MA influenced the indirect effect of EI on TSE through CNB. Conclusion: EI is vital for enhancing Economics teachers' confidence in their instructional abilities. The study underscores the importance of fostering EI, CNB, and MA through professional development programs to improve educational outcomes.