Early childhood educators' emotional labor and burnout in an emerging economy: The mediating roles of affective states

Seth Yeboah Ntim; Jinliang Qin; Collins Opoku Antwi; Michael Osei Aboagye; Siyuan Chen; Elijah Takyi Mensah

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e14053

Early childhood educators' emotional labor and burnout in an emerging economy: The mediating roles of affective states

Heliyon. 2023 Feb 26;9(3):e14053. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e14053. eCollection 2023 Mar.

Authors

Seth Yeboah Ntim¹, Jinliang Qin¹, Collins Opoku Antwi², Michael Osei Aboagye³, Siyuan Chen¹, Elijah Takyi Mensah⁴

Affiliations

¹ International Institute of Children and Cultural Studies, Zhejiang Normal University, Hangzhou, 310012, China.
² Center for Tourism Studies, College of Geography & Environmental Science, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, 321004, China.
³ Department of Interdisciplinary Studies, Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development, Kumasi, AK, 039, Ghana.
⁴ Department of Comparative Education, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, 321004, China.

Abstract

The costs and benefits of preschool teachers' emotional labor on the quality of education manifest in how emotional labor relates to well-being. Building on the theoretical foundation of conservation of resources theory (COR), this study explores the influence of emotional labor on burnout and the intervening roles of affective states (i.e., positive and negative affect). Our hypotheses were tested using cross-sectional data from 574 preschool teachers in Ghana. The results suggest that surface acting induces emotional exhaustion whilst diminishing personal accomplishment, but deep acting reduces depersonalization. Further, negative affect mediated surface acting and dimensions of burnout relationships. Also, positive affect mediated surface acting and deep acting, and personal accomplishment links. Theoretical and practical implications as well as directions for further research have been discussed.

Keywords: Affective states; Burnout; Early childhood education; Emerging economy; Emotional labor.