The Netherlands faces a teacher shortage due to high levels of burnout, sickness absenteeism, and teacher turnover in elementary education. This is exacerbated by increasing work pressure. The study focuses on factors influencing teacher well-being, particularly self-efficacy, positive emotions, work engagement, and burnout. Affective well-being in this context relates to emotions and moods stemming from work experiences. The Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model explains the mediating role of emotions in the relationship between job demands, resources, and burnout/work engagement. Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) highlights the positive effects of self-efficacy, emphasizing belief in one's capabilities to overcome obstacles. Self-Determination Theory (SDT) underscores autonomy as crucial for psychological well-being, contrasting it with conformity to external pressures. Non-conformity, defined as deviating from norms for organizational benefit, is explored as potentially advantageous, influencing work engagement. This study investigates the relationships between non-conformism, self-efficacy, burnout, and well-being, aiming to understand the impact of non-conformism on teacher self-efficacy, burnout, and affective well-being within the frameworks of JD-R, SCT, and SDT. The study tests a mediation model where non-conformism positively impacts self-efficacy, which in turn mediates the relationship between non-conformism and affective well-being/burnout. A quantitative cross-sectional study of 401 Dutch teachers using SPSS is employed.

The literature review extensively covers existing research on job burnout, focusing on the three dimensions of exhaustion, cynicism, and inefficacy, and the role of emotional exhaustion in burnout. It cites the JD-R theory linking job demands and resources to burnout and work engagement. The role of positive and negative emotions in teacher well-being is discussed, drawing on Schaufeli and Van Rhenen's work on emotions, moods, and temperaments. The concept of self-efficacy is explored through SCT, highlighting its influence on affect, behavior, and the perception of opportunities and threats. Studies demonstrating the positive correlation between self-efficacy and well-being and the negative correlation with burnout are reviewed. SDT is introduced, emphasizing autonomy as a key resource for well-being and contrasting it with controlled motivation driven by external pressures. The literature also examines non-conformity, distinguishing between independence and anti-conformity and its potential positive impact on work engagement and innovation. The study notes a gap in research on the impact of teachers' perceived non-conformism on their self-efficacy, burnout, and affective well-being.

A quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted using an online questionnaire distributed to 401 Dutch schoolteachers through mail and snowball sampling. The sample consisted of 84% women, representing various age groups and education levels. Burnout was measured using the Utrechtse Burnout Schaal-Leraren (UBOS-L) focusing on emotional exhaustion. Affective well-being was measured using the Job-related Affective Well-being Scale (JAWS), separating positive and negative emotions. Teacher Self-Efficacy Scale assessed self-efficacy across four teaching areas. A reversed conformity scale measured non-conformism. Data analysis involved Pearson correlations and regression analyses using SPSS version 25. Mediation analyses were performed using PROCESS v3.1 for SPSS to assess the mediating role of self-efficacy.

Correlations revealed that positive emotions negatively correlated with emotional exhaustion, and negative emotions positively correlated with it. Self-efficacy positively correlated with positive emotions and negatively with negative emotions and emotional exhaustion. Non-conformism showed a positive correlation with self-efficacy. Regression analyses confirmed that non-conformism significantly predicted self-efficacy (B=0.12, p<0.001). Self-efficacy significantly predicted positive emotions (B=0.71, p<0.001), negative emotions (B=-0.49, p<0.001), and emotional exhaustion (B=-0.77, p<0.001). However, no mediating effect of self-efficacy was found on the relationship between non-conformism and the target variables (positive emotions, negative emotions, and emotional exhaustion), due to non-significant direct relationships between non-conformism and these variables. The explained variance (R2) in the regression models was significant for the effects of self-efficacy on the target variables.

The findings support the JD-R theory's predictions concerning the relationship between emotions and emotional exhaustion. The results also align with SCT, showing the strong influence of self-efficacy on affective well-being and burnout. The positive correlation between non-conformism and self-efficacy adds to the literature on non-conformity, suggesting that non-conformist behavior may foster a sense of autonomy and control, potentially enhancing self-efficacy. The lack of mediation by self-efficacy in the relationship between non-conformism and the outcome variables might be attributed to the study's focus on individual perceptions of non-conformism, ignoring the reactions of others. Future research should incorporate the perceptions of others and differentiate between the subtypes of non-conformity.

The study highlights the importance of self-efficacy in mitigating burnout and fostering well-being among schoolteachers. Non-conformism positively impacts self-efficacy, suggesting that creating environments that allow for a balance between conformity and non-conformity could enhance teacher well-being. Future research should address the limitations by using longitudinal designs, incorporating multi-source data, and exploring other sectors beyond education. Further investigation into the relationship between non-conformism and well-being, considering the reactions of others to non-conformist behavior, is needed.

The cross-sectional design limits causal inferences. The reliance on self-reported data introduces potential common method bias. Generalizability might be limited to the education sector. The non-significant relationships between non-conformism and the outcome variables warrant further investigation. The study does not explicitly consider the impact of social support which can be a significant factor in helping professions.