The past decade has witnessed an increase in research on teacher motivation which has been proved a crucial factor closely related to a number of variables in education such as student motivation, educational reform, teaching practice and teachers’ psychological fulfilment and well-being. To address the constant calls for teacher motivation research, this paper attempts to pose a comprehensive review of teacher motivation studies conducted from diversified theoretical perspectives. Five research areas related to teacher motivation research have been identified: influencing factors of teacher motivation; teacher motivation and teaching effectiveness; teacher motivation and student motivation; teacher motivation research across different disciplines; and the instruments for assessing teacher motivation. Based on a critique of existing literature in terms of theoretical perspectives, research methodology, research content and concerns about contextual issues, potential directions for future research are finally proposed.

This study aims at testing the application of the job demands-resources model on university teachers in mainland China. It investigates the relationship between the job characteristics of university teaching and teachers’ well-being. Based on the analyses of a sample of 2,758 university teachers, the results of structural equation modelling support the health impairment and motivational processes suggested by the model. Specifically, job demands consisting of teaching demands, teaching-research conflict and new challenges reduced university teachers’ job satisfaction through the mediation of emotional exhaustion; job resources comprising teaching resources, social support and administrative support increased university teachers’ job satisfaction through the mediation of work engagement. The implications of these findings are discussed.

This study investigated the associations between challenge job demands, job resources, emotional exhaustion and work engagement, and examined the mediation effect of teacher efficacy as a personal resource in the job demands-resources model. The results of a questionnaire survey of 2758 university teachers from 25 universities in mainland China indicated that challenge job demands were positively related to emotional exhaustion and negatively related to work engagement. Job resources were positively related to work engagement and negatively related to emotional exhaustion. Teacher efficacy mediated the effect of challenge job demands and job resources on work engagement. These results have implications for understanding different types of job demands and improving university teachers’ well-being, and these implications are identified in this paper.

This study investigated the sustainable development of university EFL learners regarding their engagement, satisfaction, and self-efficacy in online learning environments during the outbreak of COVID-19. In a questionnaire survey with a sample of 428 Chinese undergraduate EFL learners, the students reported a favorable view of online learning environments and subjective learning outcomes. Behavioral engagement was positively related to involvement. Emotional engagement was positively related to student cohesiveness and negatively related to teacher support. Satisfaction was not related to any of the learning environment factors. Self-efficacy mediated the effect of student cohesiveness and student involvement on behavioral engagement, emotional engagement, and satisfaction. These results of the study have implications for creating a sustainable online learning environment and promoting EFL learners’ sustainable development.