Work-Life Balance, Social Support, and Work Stress in Explaining Early Childhood Teacher Job Satisfaction
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15575/jis.v6i3.58649Keywords:
early childhood teachers, job satisfaction, social support, work-life balance, work stressAbstract
Teacher job satisfaction is a critical factor in sustaining a positive work environment and supporting the quality of early childhood education. Beyond job characteristics, teachers’ satisfaction may be shaped by their ability to balance professional and personal demands, access supportive social resources, and manage work-related stress. This study aims to examine the relationships between work-life balance, social support, and job satisfaction among early childhood education teachers, while investigating the mediating role of job stress. A quantitative cross-sectional design was employed involving 345 early childhood education teachers in Labuhanbatu Regency. Data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to assess both direct and indirect relationships among the variables. The results showed that work-life balance had a positive and significant relationship with job satisfaction (β = 0.328; t = 6.888; p < 0.001), while social support also had a positive and significant relationship with job satisfaction (β = 0.116; t = 2.141; p = 0.016). In contrast, job stress was negatively and significantly related to job satisfaction (β = −0.335; t = 7.661; p < 0.001). Work-life balance was negatively associated with job stress (β = −0.152; t = 2.733; p = 0.003), as was social support (β = −0.318; t = 7.022; p < 0.001). Furthermore, job stress significantly mediated the relationship between work-life balance and job satisfaction (β = 0.051; t = 2.449; p = 0.007) and between social support and job satisfaction (β = 0.107; t = 5.825; p < 0.001). These findings highlight the interconnected roles of work-life balance, social support, and job stress in shaping PAUD teachers’ job satisfaction.
References
Allen, T. D., French, K. A., Dumani, S., & Shockley, K. M. (2020). A cross-national meta-analytic examination of predictors and outcomes associated with work–family conflict. Journal of Applied Psychology, 105(6), 539–576. https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0000442
Aruldoss, A., Kowalski, K. B., Travis, M. L., & Parayitam, S. (2022). The relationship between work–life balance and job satisfaction: moderating role of training and development and work environment. Journal of Advances in Management Research, 19(2), 240–271. https://doi.org/10.1108/JAMR-01-2021-0002
Bakker, A. B., & Demerouti, E. (2007). The Job Demands‐Resources model: state of the art. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 22(3), 309–328. https://doi.org/10.1108/02683940710733115
Effendi, K. A., Mukhlis, T. I., Padmanegara, O. H., & Widajatun, V. W. (2023). Analisis Transformasi Halal Awerness dan Teknologi Blockchain Terhadap Penguatan Halal Value Chain Di Indonesia [Analysis of Halal Awareness Transformation and Blockchain Technology to Strengthen the Halal Value Chain in Indonesia]. Jurnal Ilmiah Ekonomi Islam, 9(3), 3275. https://doi.org/10.29040/jiei.v9i3.10383 [In Indonesian]
Fisher, G. G., Bulger, C. A., & Smith, C. S. (2009). Beyond work and family: A measure of work/nonwork interference and enhancement. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 14(4), 441–456. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0016737
Hair, J., & Alamer, A. (n.d.). Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) in second language and education research: Guidelines using an applied example. Research Methods in Applied Linguistics, 1(3), 100027. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rmal.2022.100027
Hair, J. F., Risher, J. J., Sarstedt, M., & Ringle, C. M. (2019). When to use and how to report the results of PLS-SEM. European Business Review, 31(1), 2–24. https://doi.org/10.1108/EBR-11-2018-0203
Hair, J., Hult, G. T. M., Ringle, C., & Sarstedt, M. (2022). A Primer on Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM).
Harris, J. I., Winskowski, A. M., & Engdahl, B. E. (2007). Types of Workplace Social Support in the Prediction of Job Satisfaction. The Career Development Quarterly, 56(2), 150–156. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2161-0045.2007.tb00027.x
Lesener, T., Gusy, B., & Wolter, C. (2019). The job demands-resources model: A meta-analytic review of longitudinal studies. Work & Stress, 33(1), 76–103. https://doi.org/10.1080/02678373.2018.1529065
Marcionetti, J., & Castelli, L. (2023). The job and life satisfaction of teachers: a social cognitive model integrating teachers’ burnout, self-efficacy, dispositional optimism, and social support. International Journal for Educational and Vocational Guidance, 23(2), 441–463. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10775-021-09516-w
Mathews, B. (2022). Adolescent Capacity to Consent to Participate in Research: A Review and Analysis Informed by Law, Human Rights, Ethics, and Developmental Science. Laws, 12(1), 2. https://doi.org/10.3390/laws12010002
Michel, J. S., Kotrba, L. M., Mitchelson, J. K., Clark, M. A., & Baltes, B. B. (2011). Antecedents of work–family conflict: A meta‐analytic review. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 32(5), 689–725. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.695
Mulyana, I. (2026). Pengaruh NPF, DAR, dan OER terhadap Pertumbuhan Aset Bank Umum Syariah dengan ROA sebagai Variabel Mediasi: Studi pada Empat Bank Umum Syariah di Indonesia Periode Pandemi Covid-19 [Doctoral dissertation [The Effect of NPF, DAR, and OER on the Asset Growt. UIN Sunan Gunung Djati Bandung.
Nitzl, C., Roldan, J. L., & Cepeda, G. (2016). Mediation analysis in partial least squares path modeling. Industrial Management & Data Systems, 116(9), 1849–1864. https://doi.org/10.1108/IMDS-07-2015-0302
Polat, Ş., & Özdemir, M. (2020). An Examination of Relationship between Job Characteristics and Work-Life Balance According to the Teachers’ Opinions. Education and Science, 46(205), 207–219. https://doi.org/10.15390/EB.2020.7944
Tria, J. Z. (2023). Job satisfaction among educators: A systematic review. International Journal of Professional Development, Learners and Learning, 5(2), ep2310. https://doi.org/10.30935/ijpdll/13212
Yang, Y., Lu, X., Ban, Y., & Sun, J. (2022). Social Support and Job Satisfaction in Kindergarten Teachers: The Mediating Role of Coping Styles. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 809272. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.809272
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Furqon Hasanudin, Rahmi Lubis, Kaiman Turnip
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).