Subjective wellbeing and work performance among teachers in Hong Kong during the COVID-19 pandemic : does autonomy support moderate their relationship?

Abstract

(1) Background: A higher level of subjective wellbeing is often assumed to have a positive effect on the performance of workers. However, this relationship has seldom been studied extensively among teachers shifting from face-to-face teaching to online teaching. Thus, this study provided quantitative evidence regarding the effect of subjective wellbeing on work performance among male and female teachers during the outbreak of a pandemic. (2) Methods: We examined the subjective wellbeing of teachers from three perspectives, namely workload, organisational support, and interaction with students. Furthermore, we tested whether autonomy support affected the association between subjective wellbeing and work performance, and a comparison between male and female teachers was drawn. (3) Results: The findings suggested that the student interaction wellbeing of female teachers positively and significantly affected their work performance (b = 1.19, t = 4.28, p < 0.001). Moreover, autonomy support tended to amplify the positive effect of organisational wellbeing for both male and female teachers (males’ OWB: b = 0.25, t = 2.44, p < 0.05; females’ OWB: b = 0.31, t = 0.09, p < 0.05). (4) Conclusions: This study provides useful information for educational management when reviewing teacher performance and wellbeing during the pandemic.