Beyond occupational exhaustion: exploring the influence of positive meaningful work on teachers' psychoemotional well-being in the digital age

The study addresses how positive meaningful work relates to emotional exhaustion among teachers in a context of increasing technification of education. Drawing on the Job Demands–Resources (JD-R) model, the authors propose that positive meaning in work acts as a personal resource that can buffer the impact of job demands (e.g., technological demands and work–family conflict) on emotional exhaustion. The research focuses on secondary school teachers and examines both direct and indirect pathways linking positive meaning to emotional exhaustion, as well as moderating effects of experience. The purpose is to clarify mechanisms connecting meaningful work, technostress, and work–family dynamics to psychoemotional well-being, given the post-pandemic acceleration of ICT in teaching and its associated challenges.

The literature review conceptualizes meaningful work as the subjective experience of significance derived from alignment between individual and work, distinguishing Positive Meaningful work (PM) as contributing to the greater good. Rising interest in meaningful work relates to dissatisfaction with organizational imperatives and the desire for purpose. Prior studies link meaningful work to outcomes such as burnout, work–family conflict (WFC), emotional exhaustion (EE), and commitment. In teaching, demands now include technological skills alongside pedagogical ones. The JD-R model suggests resources can buffer demands leading to exhaustion. Hypotheses were developed: H1 posits higher PM is associated with lower EE. H2 suggests PM reduces technocomplexity (TC), defined as feelings of incompetence due to evolving technologies. H3 expects TC to increase EE. H4 proposes TC increases WFC due to cognitive overload and routine disruption. H5 posits PM reduces WFC by transmitting positive affect and resources into the family domain. H6 expects WFC to increase EE over time as resources are depleted. Experience (EX) may moderate relationships: H7a predicts the PM–TC relationship is stronger among more experienced employees; H7b predicts the PM–WFC relationship is stronger among more experienced employees. A structural model integrating these relations is proposed.

Research design: Cross-sectional quantitative survey of secondary education teachers in public institutions in southern Spain. Sample and procedure: Minimum sample size estimated using Tabachnick and Fidell (1996) formula n = 50 + 8m. Questionnaires were sent to all faculty at eight middle education institutes in southern Spain. Inclusion criteria: incumbent secondary teacher with at least 1 year of seniority. 600 questionnaires distributed; 213 valid responses obtained (35.5% response rate). Data collection ran from September 2022 to May 2023. Sample characteristics: 63.6% female; age 23–61 years (mean 38.69, SD 10.606); work experience 1–39 years (mean 14.64, SD 10.76). Measures: All items on 5-point Likert scales (1 = Never, 5 = Always). Positive Meaning (PM): 4 items from WAMI (Steger et al., 2012). Emotional Exhaustion (EE): 5 items from Maslach Burnout Inventory–General Survey (Maslach et al., 1996). Technocomplexity (TC): 4 items from Technostress Creators Scale (Ragu-Nathan et al., 2008). Work–Family Conflict (WFC): 5 items from Netemeyer et al. (1996). Sociodemographics (seniority, age, gender) collected. Analysis: Descriptives computed with SPSS v25. Structural modeling via PLS-SEM using SmartPLS 4. Common method bias assessed using full collinearity VIFs; all inner VIFs < 3.3 (e.g., PM predicting TE VIF 1.081; TE predicting WFC VIF 1.206). Measurement model assessed for reliability (Cronbach’s alpha, rho_A, composite reliability) and convergent validity (factor loadings > 0.7; AVE > 0.5). Discriminant validity verified by Fornell–Larcker and HTMT (< 0.9). Model fit via SRMR = 0.078 (bootstrapping with 10,000 samples). Mediation (PM→TE→EE; PM→WFC→EE) and moderated mediation (EX moderating PM→TE and PM→WFC) tested. Predictive validity assessed using PLS Predict (10 folds, 1 repetition), reporting positive Q2 values and acceptable RMSE/MAE, indicating out-of-sample predictive power. Measurement reliability/validity indicators (Table 2): EE (α=0.917, CR=0.937, AVE=0.750), PM (α=0.912, CR=0.936, AVE=0.786), TC (α=0.881, CR=0.917, AVE=0.734), WFC (α=0.935, CR=0.951, AVE=0.794). Discriminant validity supported (square roots of AVE exceed inter-construct correlations; HTMT < 0.9).

- All hypothesized direct effects (H1–H6) were supported: • H1 PM→EE: β = -0.282, t = 4.499, p < 0.001, f2 = 0.188. • H2 PM→TE: β = -0.289, t = 2.498, p = 0.013, f2 = 0.027. • H3 TE→EE: β = 0.217, t = 5.043, p < 0.001, f2 = 0.094. • H4 TE→WFC: β = 0.435, t = 8.255, p < 0.001, f2 = 0.256. • H5 PM→WFC: β = -0.132, t = 2.370, p = 0.018, f2 = 0.022. • H6 WFC→EE: β = 0.526, t = 10.832, p < 0.001, f2 = 0.546. - Mediation: • PM→TE→EE: indirect β = -0.036, t = 2.105, p = 0.035, 95% CI (-0.071, -0.008). • PM→WFC→EE: indirect β = -0.069, t = 2.365, p = 0.018, 95% CI (-0.125, -0.014). - Moderation by experience: • H7a (EX × PM→TE): β = 0.059, t = 0.805, p = 0.421 (not significant; rejected). • H7b (EX × PM→WFC): β = 0.248, t = 4.112, p < 0.001 (significant; accepted). The negative effect of PM on WFC is stronger among more experienced teachers. - Model fit and diagnostics: SRMR = 0.078 (<0.08). Inner VIFs ranged ~1.01–1.24 (<3.3), indicating no collinearity/CMB concern. Predictive validity supported (Q2 > 0 for endogenous constructs). Effect sizes: PM and EE small effects on TE; TE medium effect on WFC; PM and EE small effects on WFC; PM medium, TE low, WFC high effect on EE.

Findings support the JD-R framework whereby positive meaningful work functions as a personal resource that directly and indirectly reduces emotional exhaustion among teachers. PM is linked to lower technocomplexity and lower work–family conflict; in turn, technocomplexity and especially work–family conflict are associated with higher emotional exhaustion. The strong path from WFC to EE underscores the central role of work–home interface in teachers’ well-being in the digitalized work context. Technological demands can drain psychological resources, fostering technocomplexity and blurring boundaries between work and home, which elevates WFC and contributes to exhaustion. PM appears to counteract these pressures, likely by enhancing resilience and positive affect that spill over into the family domain. Mediation results confirm that part of PM’s protective impact operates through reduced technostress and WFC. Moderation analyses show experience strengthens the buffering effect of PM on WFC, possibly reflecting more effective boundary management among experienced teachers, while experience does not alter the PM–technocomplexity link, which may be more driven by rapid technological change than tenure. Overall, the results highlight meaningful work as a key lever for mitigating burnout-related outcomes in education and suggest integrating PM, technocomplexity, and WFC within JD-R-based models of teacher well-being.

This study demonstrates that positive meaningful work reduces teachers’ emotional exhaustion both directly and via decreases in technocomplexity and work–family conflict. It extends the JD-R model by integrating PM with technostress and work–family dynamics in a unified framework and evidences moderated effects by experience on the PM–WFC pathway. Practically, fostering meaningfulness at work, providing training to manage technocomplexity, and adopting flexible work–family policies can improve psychoemotional well-being among teachers. Future research should: (a) examine additional mediators and resources that link meaningful work to exhaustion; (b) test the model across diverse cultural and educational contexts; (c) use longitudinal and mixed-method designs to clarify causal dynamics; and (d) include broader technostress subdimensions to refine understanding of technology-related demands.

- External validity: Sample comprised 213 secondary school teachers from southern Spain, limiting generalizability to other regions and cultural contexts. - Cross-sectional design: Precludes definitive causal inferences among PM, technostress, WFC, and EE; longitudinal or experimental designs are recommended. - Self-report surveys: Potential for response and common method biases despite diagnostic checks; subjective interpretation and social desirability may influence responses. - Scope of technostress: Not all subdimensions were included; future studies should incorporate additional technostress facets for greater precision.