ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Psychol.
Sec. Educational Psychology
The Mediating Role of Professional Self-Concept in How Teacher Professional Development Influences Rural Physical Education Teachers' Work Engagement: A Moderated Mediation Analysis
1. Jimei University, Xiamen, China
2. Xiamen University of Technology, Xiamen, China
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Abstract
This study investigates how physical education (PE) teachers' perceptions of professional development (TPD) quality influence their work engagement, with professional self-concept as a mediator, while examining the moderating roles of teaching experience, disciplinary background, and training frequency. Data from 733 rural Chinese PE teachers were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM). Results revealed that TPD perception positively predicted work engagement (β = 0.176, p < 0.01), with professional self-concept mediating 63.3% of this effect. Education majors exhibited stronger direct (β = 0.675 vs. 0.529) and mediated effects than non-education majors. Multi-group analysis revealed a distinct, non-linear pattern across career stages: early-career teachers (1–5 years) showed a complex effect characterized by a suppressing mediation through professional self-concept (β = −1.210), while mid-career teachers (6-15 years) showed non-significant paths. In contrast, veteran teachers (>15 years) demonstrated the highest training responsiveness (total effect = 0.538). Training frequency followed an inverted U-curve, peaking at 1–2 sessions/year before declining at ≥3 sessions. These findings underscore the critical need for differentiated and context-sensitive TPD programs to enhance PE teachers' engagement, with design imperatives that address the unique challenges and needs of specific career stages and disciplinary backgrounds.
Summary
Keywords
Multi-group SEM, Physical education teachers, Professional self-concept, Teacher professional development, work engagement
Received
15 December 2025
Accepted
12 February 2026
Copyright
© 2026 Yan and Dai. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
*Correspondence: Xinyu Dai
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