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Emotions, Illness Symptoms, and Job Satisfaction among Kindergarten

Teachers: The Mediating Role of Emotional Exhaustion

Article  in  Sustainability · March 2022

DOI: 10.3390/su14063261

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Article
Emotions, Illness Symptoms, and Job Satisfaction among
Kindergarten Teachers: The Mediating Role of
Emotional Exhaustion
Keshun Zhang 1, *, Xinxin Cui 1 , Rundong Wang 1 , Chenchen Mu 1 and Fang Wang 2

1 Department of Psychology, Normal College, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, China;

2020029124@qdu.edu.cn (X.C.); 2018201335@qdu.edu.cn (R.W.); 2018201436@qdu.edu.cn (C.M.)
2 Department of Preschool Education, Normal College, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, China;
wangfang@qdu.edu.cn
* Correspondence: keshun.zhang@qdu.edu.cn

Abstract: Kindergarten teachers’ emotions are an essential factor in their physical and psychologi-
cal wellbeing. Previous studies mainly focused on the relationship between kindergarten teachers’
emotions and their students’ emotions while ignoring the important relationships between kinder-
garten teachers’ emotions and their own wellbeing (e.g., teachers’ health, job satisfaction, burnout).
Therefore, this study explores teacher emotions as predictor variables, illness symptoms, and job
satisfaction as criterion variables, and emotional exhaustion as a mediator. In total, 1997 kindergarten
teachers completed the Teacher’s Emotion Scale, the Occupational Emotional Exhaustion Scale, the
Illness Symptoms Scale, and the Job Satisfaction Scale. Results revealed that enjoyment negatively
predicted illness symptoms and positively predicted job satisfaction via the mediating role of emo-
tional exhaustion. The opposite relationships were found with anger, also confirming the mediating



role of emotional exhaustion. Anxiety positively predicted illness symptoms, completely mediated by


emotional exhaustion, but no relationship was found with job satisfaction. The function of emotions
Citation: Zhang, K.; Cui, X.; Wang,
in teachers’ physical and mental health, implications for kindergartens’ research and practice, and
R.; Mu, C.; Wang, F. Emotions, Illness
Symptoms, and Job Satisfaction
suggestions for future research are discussed.
among Kindergarten Teachers: The
Mediating Role of Emotional Keywords: kindergarten teacher; teachers’ emotions; emotional exhaustion; illness symptoms;
Exhaustion. Sustainability 2022, 14, job satisfaction
3261. https://doi.org/10.3390/
su14063261

Academic Editor: Andreas Ihle

1. Introduction
Received: 6 February 2022
Teacher emotions constitute an important part of the teaching and learning process [1].
Accepted: 8 March 2022
Appraisal theory provides a meaningful perspective to understand teachers’ emotions [2–4].
Published: 10 March 2022
Appraisal theory proposes that emotions result from individuals’ interpretation and cog-
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral nitive judgement of their circumstances rather than the circumstances themselves [5–8].
with regard to jurisdictional claims in Previous studies applied appraisal theory in exploring the impact of teachers’ emotions on
published maps and institutional affil- students’ performance [9,10]. Frenzel et al. [11,12] showed that teachers’ positive appraisals
iations. in the classroom are essential in achieving good student performance, motivation, and
discipline, and forming positive teacher–student relationships. Similarly, previous research
confirmed that teachers’ emotions are related to students’ emotions, emotional compe-
tence, motivation, academic performance, classroom discipline, and social behavior [13].
Copyright: © 2022 by the authors.
For example, Wang et al. (2019) found that teachers who expressed their true feelings
Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
were more committed to their work and reported better physical health [14]. Teachers’
This article is an open access article
emotions also affect cognitive performance, health, job satisfaction, burnout, motivation,
distributed under the terms and
and teaching approaches [10,15–17]. An Australian study showed that teachers generally
conditions of the Creative Commons
Attribution (CC BY) license (https://
have high emotional needs in terms of work, burnout, and job satisfaction [18]. Emotional
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/
burnout, a core component of job burnout, has a significant predictive effect on job satisfac-
4.0/). tion and health [19,20], and this appears to be related to teachers’ emotions as well. For

Sustainability 2022, 14, 3261. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14063261 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/sustainability

Sustainability 2022, 14, 3261 2 of 19

example, teachers with more positive emotions tend to report lower burnout and higher
job satisfaction [21]. Because of the heavy workload [22] and relatively high turnover
rate, kindergarten teachers [23] are regarded to be a more vulnerable group compared to
other teachers. Kindergarten teachers’ fatigue, job burnout, and poor physical condition in
response to the heavy workload can threaten their teaching quality. Therefore, the question
of how to maintain kindergarten teachers’ job satisfaction and physical health has drawn
increasing attention from researchers [14,24].

1.1. Teachers’ Emotions

According to a multicomponent approach, emotions can be defined as a synchronous
and coherent pattern of central nervous and peripheral physiological responses. These
responses are reflected in movement tendencies and facial, vocal, and gestural expressions
in one’s subjective experience [25,26]. More specifically, teachers’ emotions are discrete
emotions that teachers experience in their professional lives, particularly while providing
instruction [27]. The present study adopts this multicomponent definition of emotions,
viewing kindergarten teachers’ emotions as subjective experiences. According to the
dimensional approach to emotions, emotions are defined on the basis of where they lie
on two or more continuous dimensions, such as valence and arousal [28], positive and
negative activation [29], or approach-avoidance [30]. Others argue that emotions are
discrete and should, therefore, be considered separately as unique experiential states [31].
Previous research on emotions and learning took a dimensional approach that effectively
treats all discrete emotions (e.g., anger, sadness, joy) as globally negative or positive
affective states [32]. However, as Gooty et al. [33] indicated, when discrete emotions
are combined into overall negative or positive dimensions for analytical purposes, the
different antecedents, functions, and outcomes of different emotions are not considered [34].
Therefore, the present study considers teachers’ enjoyment, anger, and anxiety. These
discrete emotions were selected because enjoyment and anger outrank other discrete
emotions in terms of their frequency. In addition, anxiety was included because it has
received considerable research interest in the teaching context due to its high relevance
to physical health and psychological wellbeing [35]. Thus, this research focuses on three
discrete teacher emotions: enjoyment, anger, and anxiety.
A variety of stimuli may trigger emotions experienced by teachers in the classroom.
For example, teachers experience positive emotions such as joy, enjoyment, and pleasure
when students progress or are responsive and cooperative. On the other hand, teachers’
anger and frustration are most often related to students’ misbehavior or lack of classroom
discipline [10]. Many studies empirically confirmed the contribution of positive and
negative affect in favoring job perceptions and attitudes [36,37]. The teaching profession
is one that requires the most emotional input, and this is especially true for kindergarten
teachers [38–40]. Because kindergarten teachers deal with children who are not physically
and mentally mature, they need to exhibit patience and enthusiasm. This emotional
labor can result in relatively high levels of burnout [41]. Research also indicated that
long-term stress and negative emotions contribute to teachers’ lower job satisfaction and
decreases the stability of teaching teams, as about 30% of teachers leave the profession
within five years [42,43]. Teachers who do not resign are more likely to feel anxiety and
depression symptoms [44]. These negative emotions continue to consume emotional
resources, adding to the emotional exhaustion of kindergarten teachers [31]. Negative
emotions further affect teachers’ evaluations of their job satisfaction, resulting in a more
negative overall assessment of the work [45]. Therefore, to promote high-quality teaching
in kindergarten, it is necessary to pay more attention to the development of key emotions
in kindergarten teachers.

1.2. Illness Symptoms

Previous research on kindergarten teachers’ illness symptoms focused on hearing-
related symptoms [46,47], as kindergarten teachers experience high levels of noise in their
Sustainability 2022, 14, 3261 3 of 19

occupational environment. However, the impact of the heavy workload and excessive
professional pressure cannot be underestimated [48,49]. A study comparing kindergarten
teachers with elementary- and middle-school teachers found that pressure on kindergarten
teachers is more pronounced than that of other teachers [50]. Working as a kindergarten
teacher involves physically demanding behaviors such as straining one’s head down,
kneeling, stooping, squatting, and bending. In addition, excessive professional pressure can
lead to the deterioration of teachers’ health [51]. Research found that kindergarten teachers
are more prone to occupational illnesses such as laryngitis, cervical spondylosis, and
lower-back pain [52,53]. Previous research also demonstrated that teacher burnout affects
teachers’ health [54]. Hence, we conducted this study to focus on the illness symptoms of
kindergarten teachers.

1.3. Job Satisfaction

Job satisfaction refers to one’s attitude towards one’s working environment and
other job-related circumstances [55], which is fundamental to evaluating the stability
of a team [56,57]. Teachers’ job satisfaction denotes teachers’ emotional relations with their
job and perception of the outcomes of their teaching tasks [58]. Intrinsic sources of job
satisfaction for teachers include making a positive difference in others’ lives and feelings of
belonging [59], and the positive emotion of enjoyment. On the other hand, extrinsic sources
of job satisfaction include salary, status, school support [60,61], and school administrators’
leadership styles [62].
We applied the broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions to explore the rela-
tionship between kindergarten teachers’ emotions and job satisfaction. Broaden-and-build
theory describes positive emotions as “broadened thought–action repertoires” that build
“enduring personal resources” [63,64]. According to this theory, when teachers are in a
positive emotional state, they broaden their thinking and behavior patterns, thereby ex-
panding and building upon their personal resources. The construction and accumulation
of personal resources can promote teachers’ job satisfaction [65,66]. For example, a research
study conducted in Turkey with 581 teachers demonstrated that positive emotions were cor-
related with higher levels of job satisfaction [67]. Other studies demonstrated that engaging
in activities in classroom settings and establishing positive teacher–student relationships
enhance teachers’ wellbeing at work [68,69]. However, most kindergarten teachers reported
low job satisfaction caused by lower salaries and excessive work pressure compared to
other professions [70,71]. Thus, it is essential to investigate the factors that may mediate
the relationship between kindergarten teachers’ emotions and their job satisfaction.

1.4. Emotional Exhaustion

Teacher burnout is traditionally conceptualized as resulting from long-term occupa-
tional stress [72] and the unpleasant and negative emotions that result from various aspects
of the teaching experience [19]. Emotional exhaustion is the core component and the most
visible symptom of work-related burnout [73]. It is evidenced in extreme fatigue or loss of
vitality resulting from the excessive depletion of emotional resources, lack of enthusiasm
towards work, and lack of interest in external stimuli [74]. Teaching is ranked as one of
the most stressful professions in various cultural and educational contexts [75]. Emotional
exhaustion significantly negatively impacts both teachers’ wellbeing in terms of their self-
rated physical and mental health [21], job satisfaction [59], and student performance [76].
Emotional exhaustion is also related to high absenteeism, retirement, and turnover [40,77].
According to conservation-of-resources theory (COR), emotional exhaustion in teach-
ers may mediate the relationship between emotions and job satisfaction and health con-
ditions [78]. This theory emphasizes the objective elements of threat and loss, and the
process of protecting this loss of resources. It proposes that emotional exhaustion results
from a sense that one cannot deal with an impending loss of resources through one’s
own coping efforts [79]. For example, kindergarten teachers consume emotional resources
in work, and to maintain physical and mental health they must actively construct and
Sustainability 2022, 14, 3261 4 of 19

protect their existing emotional resources [80]. In line with COR, emotional exhaustion
or the loss of these emotional resources is associated with job attrition. Previous studies
indicated that kindergarten teachers with higher levels of stress and emotional exhaustion
expressed a greater intention to leave the job [81]. As kindergarten teachers often need
to exaggerate their positive emotions and suppress negative emotions to help children
understand specific topics or attract their attention, these actions can lead to emotional
exhaustion [82]. In addition, COR predicts that individuals must invest resources to prevent
the loss of these resources, but this is increasingly difficult for teachers. In the past few
decades, education researchers from multiple countries reported an increase in work tasks
in the teaching profession, and teachers are required to complete more tasks in a shorter
timeframe. These demands greatly shorten teachers’ leisure time, impeding teachers from
recovering physically and mentally [77,83]. Teachers with high levels of emotional exhaus-
tion are more likely to show low levels of job satisfaction [84]. On the basis of the COR
view, negative emotions such as anxiety could consume emotional resources, leading to
greater emotional exhaustion, and therefore lower job satisfaction and heath. On the other
hand, the enjoyment that teachers experience in teaching can provide them with more
emotional resources to cope with emotional exhaustion, thereby positively contributing to
job satisfaction and physical health [85].

1.5. Literature Review

Two databases were included in the literature search (PsycINFO and Web of Science),
which was carried out using search terms “kindergarten teacher” or “preschool teachers”,
“job satisfaction”, “illness symptoms”, “physical health”, and “emotion”. Research results
are summarized in Table 1. Articles were selected on the basis of two inclusion criteria:
(1) Studies were required to examine empirical relationships, thereby excluding qualitative
or theoretical articles. (2) Job satisfaction and illness symptoms needed to be outcome
variables in the studies. According to the current literature review, emotional regulation
ability [21], emotional exhaustion [59], emotional labor [86,87], social support [86,88], work-
places [88], teachers’ perceived work climate [89], turnover intentions [90], and stress [91]
were examined in prior empirical studies as a potential predictors of teachers’ job sat-
isfaction. Three articles explored the relationship between teachers’ emotions and job
satisfaction. Of these three articles, two adopted the classification of teachers’ emotion as
positive versus negative emotion [67,91], and one article used teachers’ enthusiasm (enjoy-
ment, excitement, and pleasure) as a predictor [36]. These studies revealed the positive
relationship between positive emotions and job satisfaction. However, Atmaca et al. [36]
did not find a significant relationship between negative emotions (sadness, anger, and fear)
and job satisfaction, but found that negative emotions were related to job burnout. None of
the above studies included anxiety as a discrete emotion.
For studies examining the antecedents of illness symptoms, stress and burnout were
often considered by researchers as proximal contributors [20,92,93]. Studies using teachers’
emotional labor as a predictor found significant association between emotional labor and
physical health [14,94]. Findings also showed a relationship between teachers’ negative
emotions and illness symptoms [95], and that anxiety disorders negatively affected their
physical health [35]. In the current literature review, only 6 of the 17 articles included
preschool teachers as the participants. Thus, kindergarten teachers’ emotions were some-
what neglected in previous studies. As previous research suggests that kindergarten
teachers experience burnout and emotional exhaustion to a greater extent than teachers
in other grades [50], it is necessary to include kindergarten teachers in research on this
topic, as we do in the current study. A second gap in the research that was identified in
the present literature review was the need for a more integrated model-based approach
to these variables that are often independently studied. In order to expand knowledge,
instead of looking at the pairwise relationships among teacher emotions, illness, job satis-
faction, and emotional exhaustion, the present study concurrently examines their complex
Sustainability 2022, 14, 3261 5 of 19

associations. These two features of the present study (i.e., sample and analyses) contribute
to its significance.

Table 1. Summary of study findings.

Variables Literature Sources Sample Year Predictors Conclusions

123 secondary- Emotional regulation ability
Emotional
Brackett et al. school 2010 is positively associated with
regulation ability
teachers job satisfaction.
2569 teachers from Teacher emotional
Skaalvik and Emotional
elementary and 2011 exhaustion negatively
Skaalvik exhaustion
middle schools predicts job satisfaction.
Social support mitigates the
negative impact of
628 teachers from Emotional labor
Kinman et al. 2011 emotional demands on
secondary schools and social support
emotional exhaustion and
job satisfaction.
Teachers’ perceived work
Teachers’
69 kindergarten climate has positive
Michael 2016 perceived work
teachers associations with
climate
job satisfaction.
The social support of
kindergarten teachers is
96 kindergarten
Bruno and Joško 2017 Social support significantly positively
teachers
correlated with
job satisfaction.
Teachers’ workplaces and
229 kindergarten Workplaces, turnover intention predicts
Jones et al. 2017
teachers turnover intention preschool teachers’
job satisfaction.
Job satisfaction
Deep acting is positively
related to teaching
satisfaction and the
85 empirical
Yin et al. 2019 Emotional labor expression of naturally felt
articles
emotions is negatively
related to teaching
satisfaction
Teachers’ stress is negatively
related to job satisfaction;
200 teachers from Stress, positive
Parveen and Bano 2019 positive emotions are
universities emotions
positively related to
job satisfaction.
Teachers’
enthusiasm Teachers’ enthusiasm is
536 high school
Burić and Moè 2020 (enjoyment, related to their self-efficacy
teachers
excitement, and and job satisfaction.
pleasure)
Positive emotions (joy, love)
are positively correlated
with job satisfaction. The
564 inservice relationship between
Atmaca et al. 2020 Teacher emotions
teachers negative emotions (sadness,
anger, and fear) and job
satisfaction is
not significant.
Sustainability 2022, 14, 3261 6 of 19

Table 1. Cont.

Variables Literature Sources Sample Year Predictors Conclusions

10,190 adult Anxiety disorders
Schonfeld et al. primary care 1997 Anxiety disorders negatively affect
patients health conditions.
Teachers with psychological
Psychological
El-Latif and 106 preschool stress and work stress have
2002 stress and
Garawany teachers significantly increased
work stress
bone pain.
Teacher burnout has
significant negative
Hakanen et al. 2038 teachers 2006 Teacher burnout implications for teachers’
wellbeing in terms of their
self-rated health.
Teachers’ negative emotions
Levina and
50 teachers 2013 Negative emotion positively correlate with
Petereva
Illness symptoms their disease symptoms
Positive association of
emotion labor with hair
43 preschool cortisol concentration was
Qi et al. 2017 Emotional labor
teachers significant for surface acting
and not significant for
deep acting.
Teachers’ emotional labor
corresponds with their
28 empirical
Wang et al. 2019 Emotional labor psychological wellbeing,
articles
physical health, and
teaching behaviors.
363 early Teacher occupational stress
Mariana and Occupational
childhood teachers 2021 increases risk of
Samantha stress
of color certain diseases.

With respect to the role of emotional exhaustion, according to appraisal theory [5–8], indi-
viduals’ judgments of events trigger emotions, while conservation-of-resources theory [79]
suggests that, once individuals use up their resources, they are motivated to acquire new
resources. However, if resources are not effectively replenished, emotional exhaustion is
experienced. Therefore, this study explored the relationship between kindergarten teach-
ers’ emotions and both their illness symptoms and job satisfaction. Further, this study
investigates the mediating role of emotional exhaustion.

1.6. Research Hypothesis

We hypothesized the following:

Hypothesis 1. The direct effect of kindergarten teachers’ emotion on illness symptoms and job
satisfaction is significant. Enjoyment negatively predicts illness symptoms and positively predicts
job satisfaction, while anger and anxiety positively predict illness symptoms and negatively predict
job satisfaction.

Hypothesis 2. Emotional exhaustion mediates the relationship between discrete emotions and
illness symptoms and job satisfaction.
Sustainability 2022, 14, 3261 7 of 19

2. Materials and Methods

2.1. Ethical Statement
This study was approved by the research ethics committee of our university, and
all procedures complied with the ethical standards of the latest version of the Helsinki
Declaration. Participants had been informed about the nature of the study before they took
part in the survey, including the aim of the study, and their anonymity was maintained
in the survey and data analysis. All participants willingly gave their informed consent to
participate after being informed about the purpose of the study. All analyses were based
on anonymous data.

2.2. Participants and Data Collection

Data were collected via a Chinese online research panel, Wenjuanxing (https://www.
wjx.cn/, 7 June 2021), which is functionally equivalent to Amazon Mechanical Turk. This
method has the advantages of Internet-based survey methods (e.g., increased simplicity in
gathering data, anonymity of respondents, voluntary participation). A total of 1997 kinder-
garten teachers voluntarily participated in the study. Each participant was informed about
the purpose of the study before the program commenced. Table 2 provides the demograph-
ics of the kindergarten teachers in the sample. There were 61 male teachers and 1936 female
teachers, ranging from 15 to 60 years of age (M = 31.41, SD = 8.77). A total of 1485 worked
in urban areas, and 512 worked in rural areas. Regarding the teachers’ establishment,
426 were tenured, and 1571 were not tenured. A total of 1376 individuals worked in public
kindergartens, and 621 participants were in private kindergartens. Regarding years of
teaching, 870 had worked for 0–5 years, 442 had worked for 6–10 years, 225 had worked
for 11–15 years, 162 had worked for 16–20 years, 95 had worked for 21–25 years, and
203 participants had worked for more than 25 years.

Table 2. Category of kindergarten teachers in the sample.

Category Number Proportion

Male teachers 61 3.05%
Gender
Female teachers 1936 96.95%
Urban areas 1485 74.36%
Workplace
Rural areas 512 25.64%
With teachers’ establishment 426 21.33%
Establishment
Without teachers’ establishment 1571 78.67%
Public kindergartens 1376 68.90%
Kindergarten type
Private kindergartens 621 31.10%
0–5 years 870 43.57%
6–10 years 442 22.13%
11–15 years 225 11.27%
Teaching years
16–20 years 162 8.11%
21–25 years 95 4.76%
more than 25 years 203 10.16%

2.3. Measures
2.3.1. Teacher Emotions
Teacher emotions were assessed by the Teacher Emotions Scales [27]. We used the
group-specific scale of enjoyment (e.g., “I enjoy teaching these students”), anger (e.g.,
“Sometimes I get really mad at these students”), and anxiety (e.g., “I feel tense and nervous
while teaching these students”). Each emotion included four items, and a 4-point scale was
used ranging from 1 (completely disagree) to 4 (completely agree). The Chinese translation
of this scale followed a multiple-stage translation process, including an independent back-
and-forth translation by two professional translators, comparisons, and revisions by two
psychology experts, and a pretest with Chinese teachers. The internal consistencies were
Cronbach’s αs = 0.84, 0.75, and 0.81 for enjoyment, anger, and anxiety, respectively. Fit
Sustainability 2022, 14, 3261 8 of 19

statistics of the confirmatory factor analysis were χ2 /df = 5.878, CFI = 0.981, TLI = 0.972,
RMSEA = 0.049, SRMR = 0.030. For enjoyment, anger, and anxiety, AVE were 0.578, 0.424,
0.520, CR were 0.845, 0.736, 0.810, respectively.

2.3.2. Emotional Exhaustion

We used the emotional exhaustion subscale of the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) to
assess teachers’ emotional exhaustion [72]. It included nine items, e.g., “My work exhausts
my emotions”, by using a 7-point scale ranging from 1 (never) to 7 (every day). The internal
consistency was Cronbach’s α = 0.93. Fit statistics of the confirmatory factor analysis
were χ2 /df = 6.537, CFI = 0.994, TLI = 0.987, RMSEA = 0.053, SRMR = 0.018, AVE = 0.584,
CR = 0.927.

2.3.3. Job Satisfaction

A job satisfaction scale was used [86]. It included five items, e.g., “I am satisfied with
my work”, and used a 7-point scale ranging from 1 (completely disagree) to 7 (completely
agree). The internal consistency was Cronbach’s α = 0.92. Fit statistics of the confirmatory
factor analysis were χ2 /df = 4.976, CFI = 0.996, TLI = 0.987, RMSEA = 0.045, SRMR = 0.010,
AVE = 0.540, CR = 0.874.

2.3.4. Illness Symptoms

An illness symptoms scale was used [96]. The scale measured six symptoms (i.e.,
sleep problems, headaches, muscle tension, stomach pain, rapid heartbeat, and loss of
appetite) using a 5-point scale ranging from 1 (0 times a week) to 5 (5 times a week or
more). The internal consistency was Cronbach’s α = 0.86. Fit statistics of the confirmatory
factor analysis were χ2 /df = 7.05, CFI = 0.997, TLI = 0.992, RMSEA = 0.055, SRMR = 0.008,
AVE = 0.697, CR = 0.920.

2.4. Data Analysis

Data were analyzed in three steps. First, we calculated descriptive statistics and the
Pearson correlation coefficients. Second, using structural equation modelling (SEM), fit
indicators of three structural models and the χ2 difference test of models were calculated.
As χ2 tends to be significant when calculated on data from large samples, we additionally
used ∆CFI for the evaluation of nested measurement models. Lastly, we used 5000 bootstrap
samples and the 95% bias-corrected confidence interval (95% CI) to examine the significance
of the mediation effect [97]. The statistical significance level was set at p < 0.05. All analyses
were conducted using SPSS Version 25.0 and AMOS 26.0. The quality of model fit was
assessed by the χ2 /df, comparative fit index (CFI), Tucker–Lewis index (TLI), root-mean-
square error of approximation (RMSEA), and standardized root-mean residual (SRMR). A
good fitting model is indicated by χ2 /df < 5, RMSEA values of < 0.08, SRMR values < 0.06,
CFI and TLI, values > 0.95 and we can accept χ2 /df < 8 [98,99].

3. Results
3.1. Common Method Biases
Harman’s single-factor test was used to diagnose common method bias [100]. The
results of principal component factor analysis without rotation showed that there were
5 factors with eigenvalues greater than 1. The variance explained by the first factor was
33.267%, below the threshold of 40%. Therefore, common method bias did not affect
the outcome of this study. The Durbin–Watson (D–W) test was used for diagnosis of
autocorrelation. All D–W values were between 1.959 and 2.078 (ps > 0.05). Results of
multicollinearity tests were acceptable for enjoyment (tolerance = 0.655, VIF = 1.526),
anxiety (tolerance = 0.497, VIF = 2.014) and anger (tolerance = 0.418, VIF = 2.393).
Sustainability 2022, 14, 3261 9 of 19

3.2. Descriptive Statistics and Correlation Analysis

The descriptive statistics and correlation matrix of all variables are shown in Table 3.
Teacher emotions, emotional exhaustion, and job satisfaction data were normally dis-
tributed (skewness and kurtosis within ±1). Illness symptoms showed a slight positive
skew and the distribution was slightly leptokurtic. Enjoyment was significantly negatively
correlated with emotional exhaustion and illness symptoms, and significantly positively
correlated with job satisfaction, while anxiety and anger were significantly positively cor-
related with emotional exhaustion and illness symptoms, and significantly negatively
correlated with job satisfaction.

Table 3. Descriptive and correlation analyses of study variables (N = 1997).

Variable M ± SD Skewness Kurtosis 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

1. Gender
2. Workplace −0.06 *
3. Establishment 0.00 −0.05 *
4. Kindergarten −0.03 0.30 ** 0.33 **
type
5. Age 31.41 ± 8.77 −0.09 ** 0.27 ** 0.31 ** 0.29 **
6. Annual salary 6.35 ± 2.63 0.00 −0.13 ** 0.55 ** 0.18 ** 0.30 **
7. Illness 1.75 ± 0.80 1.51 2.41 0.10 ** −0.10 ** 0.03 0.01 −0.04 0.04
symptoms
8. Job 4.79 ± 1.41 −0.38 −0.27 −0.07 ** 0.15 ** −0.03 0.07 ** 0.11 ** 0.00 −0.36 **
Satisfaction
9. Emotional 3.06 ± 1.48 0.65 −0.35 0.09 ** −0.17 ** 0.10 ** 0.02 −0.06 * 0.08 ** 0.62 ** −0.54 **
exhaustion
10. Enjoyment 3.26 ± 0.51 −0.19 0.04 −0.03 0.11 ** −0.10 ** 0.01 0.02 −0.05 * −0.30 ** 0.53 ** −0.46 **
11. Anxiety 2.12 ± 0.55 −0.02 −0.09 0.06 ** −0.02 −0.01 −0.03 −0.03 −0.06 ** 0.33 ** −0.36 ** 0.49 ** −0.46 **
12. Anger 2.08 ± 0.58 −0.02 0.01 0.03 −0.11 ** 0.04 −0.06 * −0.06 ** −0.00 0.35 ** −0.48 ** 0.56 ** −0.58 ** 0.71 **

Note: * p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01.

3.3. The Relationships between Teacher Emotions, Illness Symptoms, and Job Satisfaction
The proposed relations between the variables were evaluated using SEM in AMOS 26.0.
Three models were estimated: (1) a model containing only direct paths, (2) a full mediation
model, and (3) a model containing both direct and indirect paths. The tested models are
shown in Figure 1, which illustrates the hypothesized relations among these variables.
The model fit indicators of these specified structural models and the results of the χ2
difference tests are presented in Table 4, and all path coefficients are presented in Table 5.
In Model 1, χ2 /df = 2.35, CFI = 0.996, TLI = 0.989, RMSEA = 0.026, SRMR = 0.018, teacher
emotions were independent variables, illness symptoms and job satisfaction were used
as dependent variables, and gender, working location, age, and kindergarten type (i.e.,
public or private kindergarten) were used as control variables. Hypothesis 1 was supported
in that enjoyment was negatively related to illness symptoms (β = −0.15, p < 0.001) and
positively related to job satisfaction (β = 1.05, p < 0.001). The second hypothesis was partially
confirmed. Anxiety (β = 0.22, p < 0.001) and anger (β = 0.24, p < 0.001) were positively
related to illness symptoms. In addition, anger (β = −0.56, p < 0.001) was negatively related
to work satisfaction, and anxiety (β = −0.05, p > 0.05) was not related to job satisfaction.
On the basis of results of χ2 difference tests, ∆χ2 (4) = 10, p < 0.001, Model 3 was better
than Model 1.

Table 4. Fit statistics of tested models and results of χ2 difference test.

Model Type χ2 /df CFI TLI RMSEA (90%CI) SRMR ∆χ2 (df) vs. M3 ∆CFI vs. M3
M1 2.35 0.996 0.989 0.026 (0.012, 0.040) 0.018 10 (4) *** 0.003
M2 5.43 0.986 0.970 0.047 (0.038, 0.057) 0.028 73.3 (10) *** 0.013
M3 2.25 0.999 0.992 0.025 (0.006, 0.043) 0.016
Note: *** p < 0.001.

3.4. Mediating Effect of Emotional Exhaustion

In Models 2 and 3, the proposed mediation model was modeled according to paths
leading from teachers’ emotions (independent variables, i.e., enjoyment, anxiety, and anger)
to emotional exhaustion (mediator); illness symptoms and job satisfaction (dependent
Sustainability 2022, 14, x FOR PEER REVIEW 10 of 19

Sustainability 2022, 14, 3261 10 of 19

variable), with gender, working location, and kindergarten type (i.e., public or private
kindergarten) used as control variables (see Table 3).

Figure 1. Effect of kindergarten teachers’ emotions on illness symptoms and job satisfaction: mediat-
ing test of emotional exhaustion. Note: *** p < 0.001; results in brackets are p values of Model 2. M1
containing only direct paths; M2 containing only indirect paths; M3 is a model containing both direct
Figure 1. Effect of kindergarten teachers’ emotions on illness symptoms and job satisfaction: medi-
and indirect paths.
ating test of emotional exhaustion. Note: *** p < 0.001; results in brackets are p values of Model 2.
M1 containing only direct paths; M2 containing only indirect paths; M3 is a model containing both
direct and indirect paths.
Sustainability 2022, 14, 3261 11 of 19

Table 5. Effect of kindergarten teachers’ emotions on illness symptoms and job satisfaction: mediating
test of emotional exhaustion.

Emotional Exhaustion Illness Symptoms Job Satisfaction

Model 1 B 95%CI B 95%CI B 95%CI
Enjoyment −0.15 *** [−0.25~−0.06] 1.05 *** [0.91~1.12]
Anxiety 0.22 *** [0.13~0.32] −0.06 [−0.19~0.08]
Anger 0.24 *** [0.14~0.34] −0.56 *** [0.14~0.34]
Model 2 B 95%CI B 95%CI B 95%CI
Enjoyment −0.55 *** [−0.69~−0.40]
Anxiety 0.36 *** [0.23~0.50]
Anger 0.90 *** [0.77~1.04]
Emotional
0.34 *** [0.31~0.36] −0.77 *** [−0.84~−0.70]
exhaustion
Model 3 B 95%CI B 95%CI B 95%CI
Enjoyment −0.54 *** [−0.68~−0.39] 0.03 [−0.05~0.11] 0.88 *** [0.74~1.02]
Anxiety 0.50 *** [0.36~0.65] 0.06 [−0.02~0.14] 0.10 [−0.04~0.24]
Anger 0.78 *** [0.62~0.93] −0.01 [−0.10~0.07] −0.30 *** [−0.46~−0.16]
Emotional
0.33 *** [0.30~0.36] −0.32 *** [−0.36~−0.27]
exhaustion
Note: *** p < 0.001.

Model 2 is a full-mediation model, which means that the direct paths were not calcu-
lated. In Model 2, χ2 /df = 5.43, CFI = 0.986, TLI = 0.970, RMSEA = 0.047, SRMR = 0.018,
enjoyment was negatively related to emotional exhaustion (β = −0.55, p < 0.001), while
anxiety (β = 0.36, p < 0.001) and anger (β = 0.90, p < 0.001) were positively related to emo-
tional exhaustion. Emotional exhaustion positively related to illness symptoms (β = 0.34,
p < 0.001) and negatively related to job satisfaction (β = −0.77, p < 0.001). The results of the
bootstrap analysis showed that all indirect effects in model 2 were significant (see Table 6).
However, in the pairwise comparison of nested models, the ∆CFI between model 2 and
model 3 did reach the threshold (∆CFI = 0.01), and ∆χ2 (10) = 73.3, p < 0.001. Therefore,
model 2 (the full-mediation model) is not the optimal model in the current research (see
Table 4), so we adopt the results of model 3.

Table 6. Bootstrap analysis of mediating effect.

Model 2 Estimate Boot SE 95% CI Indirect/Total Effect

Enjoyment → EE → Illness symptoms −0.184 *** 0.026 [−0.236~−0.135]
Anxiety → EE → Illness symptoms 0.121 *** 0.023 [0.076~0.167]
Anger → EE → illness symptoms 0.301 *** 0.026 [0.254~0.355]
Enjoyment → EE → Job satisfaction 0.422 *** 0.061 [0.308~0.548]
Anxiety → EE → Job satisfaction −0.278 *** 0.050 [−0.381~−0.181]
Anger → EE → Job satisfaction −0.692 *** 0.059 [−0.807~−0.575]
Model 3 Estimate Boot SE 95% CI Indirect/Total Effect
Enjoyment → EE → Illness symptoms −0.178 *** 0.025 [−0.231~−0.129] 1.208 ***
Enjoyment → EE → Job satisfaction 0.171 *** 0.025 [0.123~0.223] 0.163 ***
Anxiety → EE → Illness symptoms 0.166 *** 0.027 [0.114~0.221] 0.724 ***
Anxiety → EE → Job satisfaction −0.159 *** 0.027 [−0.217~−0.111] 2.745
Anger → EE → Illness symptoms 0.257 *** 0.029 [0.204~0.315] 1.049 ***
Anger → EE → Job satisfaction −0.247 *** 0.032 [−0.247~−0.313] 0.449 ***
Note: *** p < 0.001.

Model 3 is a partial-mediation model, so we calculated both direct and indirect paths.

In Model 3, χ2 /df = 2.25, CFI = 0.999, TLI = 0.992, RMSEA = 0.025, SRMR = 0.016, enjoyment
(β = −0.54, p < 0.001) negatively related to emotional exhaustion, and anxiety (β = 0.50,
p < 0.001) and anger (β = 0.78, p < 0.001) positively related to emotional exhaustion.
Sustainability 2022, 14, 3261 12 of 19

Emotional exhaustion (β = 0.33, p < 0.001) positively predicted illness symptoms, while
the coefficients of enjoyment (β = 0.03), anxiety (β = 0.06), anger (β = −0.01) were not
significant (ps > 0.05). In addition, the results of the bootstrap analysis showed significant
indirect effects (see Table 6), indicating that emotional exhaustion plays a full mediating
role between the three emotions (enjoyment, anxiety, and anger) and illness symptoms.
The coefficient for the relationship between emotional exhaustion (β = −0.32, p < 0.001)
and job satisfaction was significant, and the coefficients of enjoyment (β = 0.88, p < 0.001)
and anger (β = −0.30, p < 0.001) were still significant, while anxiety was not significant.
Results of bootstrap analysis showed significant indirect effects (see Table 6), indicating
that emotional exhaustion plays a partial mediating role between enjoyment, anger, and
job satisfaction, accounting for 16.6%, 44.7% of the total effect.

4. Discussion
In the present study, a mediating model was tested to examine the relations between
kindergarten teachers’ emotions and emotional exhaustion, and their illness symptoms
and job satisfaction. Results showed that enjoyment and anger predicted illness symptoms
and job satisfaction via emotional exhaustion. Anxiety predicted illness symptoms via
emotional exhaustion but did not show a significant relationship with job satisfaction.

4.1. Direct Effects of Teachers’ Emotion

Obtained results are partially consistent with the hypotheses. Teachers’ emotions pre-
dicted both their job satisfaction and illness symptoms. As expected, enjoyment negatively
predicted illness symptoms and positively predicted job satisfaction. This result confirms
the proposition of broaden-and-build theory [63]. Positive emotions (such as enjoyment)
appear to broaden kindergarten teachers’ instantaneous cognitive ability and attention,
enhance their ability to identify opportunities and adapt to new situations, allowing for
them to build enduring personal learning resources [64]. These findings are in line with
previous research showing that teachers who experience more positive emotions are more
enthusiastic and feel more confident when facing obstacles, whereas those who experience
more negative emotions report a higher level of job burnout [40], which then negatively
affects their health [54]. Additionally, past research found that persistent anxiety symptoms
lead to undesirable physical and psychological conditions [101]. However, in the present
study, anxiety was not related to job satisfaction. This may have been due to the overall low
anxiety level found in our sample of teachers and the unique nature of anxiety. Keller and
colleagues proposed that anxiety, as a trait measure, is inherently vague [102]. In the present
study, angry and anxious teachers demonstrated a negative interpretation bias, but this
bias was more associated with anger than with anxiety. Additionally, anger was generally
associated with more significant results than those of anxiety [103]. Hence, it is not clear
how anxiety influences job satisfaction among kindergarten teachers. A future study is
needed to further explore how to distinguish between the negative emotions of anxiety
and anger among teachers, and to further clarify the independent function of anxiety.
Teachers’ emotions are closely related to illness symptoms. First, the social functions of
emotion include fulfilling an individual’s needs in adapting to a certain environment [104].
From the perspective of appraisal theory, the effects of emotion with different antecedents,
functions, and results are also worth discussing. Teachers feel different emotions when
overburdened with teaching tasks and when experiencing the challenges of teaching per-
formance evaluations [2,6]. Enjoyment can help people in maintaining their physiological
health and in promoting positive emotions [105]. On the other hand, anxiety and anger
can affect teachers’ daily lives and work, hinder their development, and pose a major
threat to their health [4]. Second, teaching is a profession with a high consumption of
emotional resources, and teachers’ emotional reactions to work can further affect their
attitudes toward work [106]. This is also in line with Fredrickson’s broaden-and-build
theory [64], which proposes that positive emotions expand one’s attentional scope and
thought-action repertoire.
Sustainability 2022, 14, 3261 13 of 19

Our results also suggest that teachers’ enjoyment helps to improve their job satisfac-
tion, while anger reduces their job satisfaction. These findings are consistent with previous
findings showing positive emotions are associated with higher levels of job satisfaction [67],
and negative emotion are associated with lower job satisfaction [42,43]. These results
suggest that as enjoyment, pleasure, and excitement can be naturally projected into the
enthusiastic teaching behavior, anger has the opposite effect on performance [36]. There-
fore, it is important for kindergarten teachers to properly express their emotions, as the
effective expression of emotions is beneficial to the job satisfaction and physical health
of kindergarten teachers. In regards to the recommended coping strategy for negative
emotions, past research suggests that teachers from different regions have different ways
of coping with negative emotional states such as depression [107]. Kindergarten teachers
tend to reflect the emotions that are expected from them, such as happiness, calm, and a
willingness to help others, while suppressing their true emotions [108]. This is especially
true in the context of Chinese culture, as emotion is deemed as a homeostatic learning
process where the body, mind, and heart coordinate to regain emotional equilibrium [109].
Therefore, kindergarten teachers who are unwilling to communicate openly with colleagues
and parents, and instead suppress their emotions, may face severe emotional exhaustion.
The accumulated anger, anxiety, and other negative emotions gradually decrease their
enthusiasm for work, and eventually lead to the decision to resign [76].

4.2. Mediating Role of Emotional Exhaustion

The present study found that emotional exhaustion plays a mediating role in the
prediction of illness symptoms by anger, enjoyment, and anxiety, and also contributes to the
prediction of job satisfaction by anger and enjoyment. This result confirmed findings from
previous work indicating emotional exhaustion reflects one component of work-related
burnout [73], and that burnout leads to negative effects on teacher’s physical condition [80].
Similarly, past research had showed that high levels of emotional exhaustion contributes to a
lower level of job satisfaction [59,84], highlighting the essential role of emotional exhaustion.
Conservation-of-resources theory can be used to explain the mediating role of emotional
exhaustion between teachers’ emotions and their job satisfaction and illness symptoms. In
a stressful state, individuals tend to use existing resources to obtain new resources in order
to reduce the net loss; at the same time, individuals actively construct and maintain their
current resource reserves to cope with possible future resource loss scenarios [79]. Teachers’
emotional exhaustion can occur in a high-stress work environment when they deplete their
emotional resources [109,110]. Our findings suggest that emotional exhaustion mediates the
relationship between emotions, and illness symptoms and job satisfaction. Consistent with
our expectations, this result highlights the importance of the role of emotional exhaustion
and shows that it is negatively associated with job satisfaction [85].
Thus, emotional exhaustion significantly increases the prevalence of illness and harms
job satisfaction [111]. Many studies indicated a positive correlation between kindergarten
teachers’ anger and emotional exhaustion [4,112]. As mentioned before, kindergarten
teachers are required to suppress their anger due to their occupational norms and expecta-
tions. Hence, if kindergarten teachers cannot reach the level of deep acting (an emotional
labor strategy that adjusts the inner emotional experience and changes external emotional
expression), their emotional exhaustion can increase and cause adverse consequences,
such as physical symptoms and higher energy consumption [113,114]. The regulation of
emotional exhaustion can be achieved by specifically targeting and increasing teachers’
enjoyment through psychological intervention and reducing their anger [102]. Another
negative emotion, anxiety, can also cause emotional exhaustion, negatively affecting physi-
cal and mental health [115]. Current results support the mentioned research and confirm
the mediating role of emotional exhaustion between emotions of enjoyment, anxiety, and
anger, and illness symptoms. Methods for effectively alleviating and reducing the level of
emotional exhaustion received a great deal of attention [116,117] and can thus be applied in
this context. The present study indicates that increasing teachers’ enjoyment, and reducing
Sustainability 2022, 14, 3261 14 of 19

teachers’ anger and anxiety can effectively reduce their levels of emotional exhaustion,
subsequently improving their physical health and job satisfaction.

4.3. Limitations and Educational Implications

The present results indicate that kindergarten teachers’ enjoyment, anger, and anxiety
directly affect their illness symptoms, while enjoyment and anger affect their job satisfaction.
Results further highlight the importance of properly managing emotions. For example,
teachers can be trained to use effective and adaptive emotion regulation strategies to reduce
or hinder the experience of negative emotions. Furthermore, the results of this study
clearly show that emotional exhaustion plays a significant mediating role among teachers’
emotions, illness symptoms and job satisfaction. According to COR, positive emotions are a
protective resource that can reduce teachers’ emotional exhaustion. Therefore, enjoyment is
beneficial for teachers’ physical health and job satisfaction, and may lead to better teaching
quality and efficiency. Likewise, protective resources such as culture, social equity, social
networks, advice, respect, and support from supervisors can reduce the negative effects
of anger and anxiety. Therefore, we also recommend that education administrators and
society at large focus more resources and attention on kindergarten teachers. To ensure
the psychological and physical health of kindergarten teachers, steps should be taken to
improve their income and social status, and to provide professional training opportunities.
However, as kindergarten teachers may experience different emotions than primary school
teachers do, one must be cautious in generalizing the current findings to teachers who
work with older students.
These findings offer further implications for kindergarten teachers’ research and prac-
tice. Enjoyment emotions can help teachers in developing their teaching performance,
increase their job satisfaction, and form good teacher–student relationships [118,119]. Inter-
ventions that increase individuals’ positive emotions such as gratitude interventions [120]
could, therefore, strengthen the positive outcomes for teachers. Kindergarten teachers
who experience emotional frustration in teaching should efficiently regulate these negative
emotions (i.e., anger and anxiety) to maintain effective teaching without depleting their
cognitive resources. Second, it is a normal phenomenon for anger and anxiety to be aroused
in the teaching process, and employing emotional regulation strategies to lessen the impact
of these negative emotions may be beneficial.
There are several limitations in the current study. First, the data used in this study were
derived from the self-evaluations of kindergarten teachers. Although their anonymity was
maintained, the self-reports of individual teachers could have still been affected by social
desirability, entailing responses that met their social expectations. Future research could
consider introducing evaluations of kindergarten leaders, parents, and young children to
improve the objectivity and diversity of evaluations. Second, this study used a one-time
cross-sectional study to explore the relationship among kindergarten teachers’ emotions,
illness symptoms, and job satisfaction, which impeded determining the causal impact of
variables. Future studies can use a longitudinal design to investigate causal relationships
among variables.

5. Conclusions
In this study, we investigated the relationships between kindergarten teachers’ emo-
tions, and their illness and job satisfaction, and the mediating role of emotional exhaustion.
Results demonstrated that the enjoyment and anger of kindergarten teachers both had
significant direct and indirect associations with illness and job satisfaction through emo-
tional exhaustion. Anxiety was positively related to symptoms of illness through emotional
exhaustion, although it was not related to job satisfaction. Thus, this research highlighted
the different functions of specific emotions of kindergarten teachers. Whereas enjoyment
maintains teachers’ positive attitudes and physical health, anger and anxiety result in
the opposite outcomes. Thus, kindergarten teachers should explore ways to accentuate
and strengthen their positive emotions, and to improve their abilities to effectively and
Sustainability 2022, 14, 3261 15 of 19

appropriately process negative emotions. This helps in reducing the emotional exhaustion
of kindergarten teachers, spark their enthusiasm for their educational careers, and improve
their physical health.

Author Contributions: Conceived and designed the survey: K.Z.; performed the survey: K.Z. and
F.W.; analyzed the data: K.Z.; contributed materials and analytical tools: K.Z. and FW.; wrote the
paper: K.Z., X.C., R.W. and C.M.; literature research: K.Z., X.C., R.W. and C.M. All authors have read
and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
Funding: This work was supported by the National Social Science Fund of China under grant
21BSH098, and the Shandong Social Science Foundation under grant 21DSHJ03, awarded to Keshun Zhang.
Institutional Review Board Statement: The study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration
of Helsinki, and approved by the Ethics Committee of Psychology of Qingdao University (RefNo:
QDU202112150001, 15.12.2021).
Informed Consent Statement: Informed consent was obtained from all subjects involved in the study.
Data Availability Statement: The data that support the findings of this study are openly available in (“OSF”,
retrieved 15 November 2021) at https://osf.io/t4fdr/?view_only=cbef8924f324494ab36035c20017546a.
Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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