This article examines the nature of teachers’ subjective wellbeing. Drawing upon the survey evidence from a three-year mixed methods study in China, the article explores the dynamic interaction between key aspects of teachers’ subjective wellbeing: altruism and self-efficacy (psychological functioning) and work satisfaction and income satisfaction (cognitive dimension). The results show that although teachers’ judgement of the quality of life in their workplaces reflects the strengths of their altruistic values and their capacity to fulfil these values, such judgement is adversely moderated by their income satisfaction. The research adds new evidence to current debate on the quality retention of teachers.

Previous studies have indicated that teacher well-being (TWB) should have substantial benefits for both individuals and organisations. This study explored the relationship between the professional learning community (PLC) and TWB from the perspective of the job demands-resources (JD-R) model. Informed by self-efficacy theory, the present study further investigated whether the PLC-TWB relationship was mediated by teaching self-efficacy (TSE). Survey data were gathered from 844 teachers from 28 schools in one province of southeastern China. The results showed that each of the six PLC components was positively related to teachers’ hedonic and eudaimonic well-being. The association between the PLC and TWB was confirmed to be mediated by TSE. Our study not only highlighted the importance of the PLC on TWB in China, but also provided insights into the mechanism of the PLC-TWB relationship through the lens of TSE. Implications for research and practice were discussed.

This study investigated the impacts of peer and teacher support on perceived technology usefulness and ease of use, and acceptance of computer-mediated collaboration in writing (CMCW) among Hong Kong primary school students, who learn English as a second/foreign language (ESL/EFL). The results showed that class-level peer support had direct and positive impacts on individual-level acceptance of CMCW. However, teacher support did not have direct impacts. Peer support had indirect impacts on acceptance of CMCW through perceived usefulness. Teacher support had indirect impacts on acceptance of CMCW through the mediation of perceived usefulness and ease of use. The findings highlight the importance of teacher and peer support in students’ perceptions towards technology use and acceptance of CMCW. Reasons for the findings and implications for promoting CMCW are discussed.

China's national teacher honour system, initiated in 1949, is designed to recognise the academic and pedagogical performance of individual teachers and professional collectives at national, provincial, municipal, and school-based levels. This study employs grounded theory analysis to examine the phenomenon of China's teacher honour system by analysing documents, narrative stories of 11 award recipients and five non-recipients, and interviews with four government officials who manage the system. The paper discusses sociocultural aspects of this honour system by exploring the impact of three types of professional honours on teacher professional development. This system aims to balance government leadership in conferring honour with individual pursuit of professional development in one's local setting. Contextualised in a Confucian culture, the teachers immersed in this honour system benefit from collegial support in engaging in professional growth activities. Challenges with this system include the need to enhance teacher efficacy by engaging teachers in shaping the policy, as well as the possibility of political – rather than professional – criteria determining honour conferral, discouraging rigorous pursuit of professional growth.