Teaching is a highly demanding profession; therefore, it is necessary to address how teachers cope with the demands of their job and how these demands affect their work ability. This study aims to investigate teachers’ perceptions of work ability and the underlying mechanisms through which job demands influence their perceived work ability. The Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model serves as the theoretical framework for this investigation. A qualitative approach was employed, utilizing in-depth interviews with a sample of 14 upper secondary school teachers in the Czech Republic. The teachers had an average age of 46.9 years (SD = 9.22). The findings revealed a limited awareness among teachers regarding the holistic nature of work ability. Job demands emerged as a factor indirectly impacting perceived work ability through the health impairment process. High job demands and obstacles contributed to teacher stress, resulting in fatigue, impaired physical or mental health, and reduced perceived work ability. Moreover, the study showed how tough job demands extend beyond the professional realm, leading to work-family conflicts that further impair work ability. This study provided empirical support for the inclusion of perceived work ability as an outcome influenced by job demands within the JD-R model. Additionally, it emphasized the need for a comprehensive framework that considers both organizational and individual factors in both work and non-work domains to effectively investigate perceived work ability among teachers.

Maintaining and promoting teachers’ work ability is essential for increasing productivity and preventing early exit from the teaching profession. This study aimed to identify the predictors of work ability among upper-secondary school teachers and examine the mediating role of burnout. A large and diverse group of Czech upper-secondary school teachers was surveyed to address this goal. The sample comprised 531 upper-secondary school teachers (50.0 ± 9.94 years, 19.9 ± 10.62 in the teaching profession, 57.6% females). Relatively greater empirical support was found for the effects of burnout, sense of coherence, work–life balance, and perceived relationships in the school environment on work ability than for the impact of age, homeroom teacher duties, workload, and caring for elderly relatives. Furthermore, burnout served as an important mediator of the relationship between sense of coherence and work ability. Teachers with a higher sense of coherence are thus better able to cope with adverse work circumstances and identify and mobilize internal and external resources to prevent professional exhaustion and the subsequent decline in work ability. The study can guide interventions on the work ability of teachers.

Maintaining work ability is essential for meeting the job requirements of the teaching profession. The aim of the present study was to examine the relationships between perceived work ability, burnout, self-rated physical and mental health, and self-efficacy among teachers. This research was grounded in the job demands-resources (JD-R) model, providing a theoretical framework for exploration. A two-wave longitudinal study was conducted among Czech primary and lower secondary school teachers. Data were collected using web-based questionnaires at two-time points, 1 year apart. At Time 1, the sample comprised 853 participants (mean age: 45.9 years ± 10.8; mean years in the teaching profession: 19.4 years ± 12.1; 86.1% females). The findings highlight the crucial roles of burnout, self-rated mental health, and teacher self-efficacy in fostering perceived work ability among teachers. The mediation analysis revealed that self-rated mental health serves as mediator between burnout and perceived teacher work ability, while burnout mediates the relationship between teacher self-efficacy and perceived work ability. This study provides empirical support for the principles of the JD-R model within the teaching profession. Practical implications and future directions are discussed.

Burnout and perceived work ability (PWA) are critical factors influencing teachers' professional well‐being and effectiveness. The potential bidirectional relationship between these constructs remains underexplored, particularly in primary and lower secondary school teachers. This study examines the reciprocal relationship between burnout and PWA among teachers over time, using the job demands‐resources (JD‐R) model and the conservation of resources (COR) theory. A two‐wave longitudinal study was conducted among 853 Czech primary and lower secondary school teachers. Data were collected via web‐based questionnaires at two time points. Bayesian cross‐lagged panel modeling (CLPM) was applied to analyze the bidirectional effects of burnout and PWA while controlling demographic variables. Burnout significantly predicted lower PWA, supporting the JD‐R model's health impairment process. Contrary to expectations, higher PWA was associated with increased burnout, suggesting that PWA may not function as a protective factor in the teaching context, but rather as a risk factor increasing vulnerability to strain. Post hoc analyses indicated that burnout's detrimental influence on PWA emerged through several coherent facet‐to‐facet pathways, while in the reverse direction, only higher PWA in the teaching organization predicted later physical exhaustion. The study clarifies the directionality of associations between burnout and PWA, contributing to theory development and offering implications for interventions.

Cílem kvalitativně orientované studie je zmapovat prožívání rodičovství a studia doktorských studentek s malými dětmi. Dílčím cílem je snaha porozumět tomu, jaké dopady má rodičovství nejen na průběh doktorského studia zkoumaných žen, ale rovněž i na jejich další setrvání v akademickém prostředí. Studie představuje výsledky z první fáze výzkumného šetření realizovaného v roce 2016 a využívá data získaná z dvanácti hloubkových rozhovorů s doktorskými studentkami, které zároveň plní rodičovské a studijní povinnosti. Na základě jejich analýzy autorka identifikuje tři hlavní role, které zkoumané ženy prožívají. V návaznosti na prožívané role se text věnuje očekávání vůči pracovnímu prostředí, jehož jsou součástí. Ve výsledku je míra naplnění očekávání představena ve formě subjektivního vnímání přístupu pracovního prostředí jednotlivých žen. Ukazuje se, že kombinace míry ztotožnění s prožívanými rolemi, očekávání vůči pracovnímu prostředí a vnímání přístupu pracovního prostředí se poté projevuje odlišnými z působy zvládání kombinace obou životních oblastí. To se protímá i do otázky budoucí akademické kariéry. Závěry studie jsou diskutovány v kontextu již realizovaných výzkumných šetření v dané oblasti.

Teacher turnover remains one of the most pressing challenges facing education systems worldwide. At the organisational level, high rates of teacher turnover exacerbate the workloads for remaining s...