The association between teachers' growth mindset and job satisfaction: the chain mediating role of teacher-student relationship and teacher self-efficacy.

Introduction: In recent years, teacher turnover rates have risen significantly, posing a major challenge to efforts to improve educational quality. Teacher job satisfaction is a key factor influencing teacher turnover. This study applies Self-Determination Theory to explore the indirect associations of teacher-student relationship and self-efficacy in the relationship between teachers' growth mindset and job satisfaction. Methods: Data were drawn from 1,201 teachers in Shanghai who participated in the OECD's 2024 Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS). Validated scales assessed growth mindset, job satisfaction, teacher-student relationship quality, and self-efficacy. Structural equation modeling and bootstrap analyses were conducted to test direct and indirect effects. Results: Teachers' growth mindset is significantly and positively correlated with job satisfaction, teacher-student relationship, and self-efficacy. Both teacher-student relationship and self-efficacy are positively correlated with teacher job satisfaction. Teacher-student relationship is positively correlated with teacher self-efficacy. Teacher-student relationship and self-efficacy not only mediate the relationship between teachers' growth mindset and job satisfaction independently but also exert a chained mediating effect. Conclusion: These findings underscore that fostering a growth mindset is associated with higher teacher job satisfaction by first enriching teacher-student relationship and subsequently strengthening teachers' sense of competence. Schools and policymakers should implement integrated interventions, such as cultivating growth mindsets, promoting positive teacher-student interactions, and bolstering self-efficacy, to create a virtuous cycle that sustains teachers job satisfaction.