In the context of the growing and complex education landscape, teaching was increasingly seen and understood as one of the most challenging and stressful professions. This made the well-being of educators within the higher education sector a major concern, as they were affected by a range of issues, including increased workload, role conflicts, and the emotional strain of their teaching responsibilities. It was important to understand the relationship between organisational belongingness, work self-efficacy, work tenacity, and the negative emotional well-being of educators in order to foster a more positive teaching and learning environment within the higher education sector. The research was therefore driven by the social identity theory and examined the interaction of the variables “work self-efficacy,” “work tenacity,” “organisational belongingness,” “motivation,” and “workload intensity.” The study used a sequential explanatory design, whereby the qualitative sample consisted of six administrative staff members and the quantitative sample included 400 educator participants from higher education institutions within Beijing and across China. The quantitative data were processed using SmartPLS, while the qualitative data were subjected to thematic analysis after the participants’ responses were transcribed verbatim. Based on the results from structural equation modeling, all the variables were supported, and the model predicted that the emotional well-being and motivation of educators could be enhanced through increased belief in their abilities and determination to complete assigned tasks within a stipulated timeframe. Elder support, institutional support, and community commitment were found not to fully ascertain community well-being, as revealed in the thematic analysis. The findings highlighted that support and communication within institutional systems, professional opportunities, and the equitable participation of faculty members at various levels of the educational community in decision-making increased the emotional stability, motivation, and job satisfaction of educational community members.
SUBMITTED: 19 November 2025
ACCEPTED: 29 December 2025
PUBLISHED:
3 January 2026
SUBMITTED to ACCEPTED: 40 days