Impact of Professional Learning Communities on the Work Engagement of Kindergarten Teachers:A Chain Mediation Model
To explore the impact of professional learning communities on kindergarten teachers'work en-gagement and its underlying mechanisms,a survey was conducted among 641 kindergarten teachers in Guang-dong Province using the Professional Learning Community Scale,Work Engagement Scale,Teaching Efficacy Scale,and Workplace Friendship Scale.The results reveal that:(1)professional learning communities,work-place friendship,teaching efficacy,and work engagement are significantly correlated with each other;(2)professional learning communities can directly predict the work engagement and can influence the work engage-ment through three indirect paths:the mediating role of workplace friendship,the mediating role of teaching efficacy,and the chain mediation of workplace friendship and teaching efficacy.In light of these findings,kin-dergarten administrators should foster an open and collaborative environment within the learning communities to encourage teacher cooperation and sharing;establish informal communication platforms to enhance the positive role of workplace friendships;and improve teachers'teaching efficacy to stimulate their enthusiasm for work.