The moderating effect of physical exercises on job stress, emotional intelligence, and teaching satisfaction among Chinese University teachers

The study addresses how job stress, emotional intelligence (EI), and physical exercise jointly relate to university teachers’ teaching satisfaction in China. Motivated by increasing stressors in higher education and their links to reduced satisfaction and burnout, the authors examine whether job stress directly lowers teaching satisfaction, whether EI mediates this relationship, and whether physical exercise moderates the stress–EI link. The importance lies in clarifying mechanisms affecting faculty well-being and performance in the Chinese context, where competitive pressures and workload intensification are high. The study proposes five hypotheses: H1 job stress negatively relates to teaching satisfaction; H2 job stress negatively relates to EI; H3 EI positively predicts teaching satisfaction; H4 EI mediates the link between job stress and teaching satisfaction; H5 the mediating effect of EI varies by physical exercise frequency (moderated mediation).

Prior work links job stressors (workload, administrative demands, student issues, lack of support/resources) to lower job satisfaction, efficacy, and higher burnout among teachers. In China, intensified research and teaching demands heighten stress and lower satisfaction, contributing to turnover intentions. EI, conceptualized via ability and trait models (e.g., MSCEIT, WLEIS, EIS, TEIQue), encompasses emotion appraisal, regulation, and utilization. EI is associated with better health, well-being, and job performance and can buffer stress, though findings vary by EI conceptualization and measure. Physical exercise confers physical and psychological benefits and is associated with reduced stress, depression, and improved emotional functioning. The cross-stressor adaptation hypothesis suggests regular activity attenuates physiological responses to stress. Empirical studies generally show positive associations between EI and physical activity levels. However, little empirical research has examined how job stress, EI, and physical exercise together relate to teaching satisfaction among university faculty in China, motivating the present moderated mediation model.

Design and sample: Quantitative, cross-sectional online survey of university teachers at 25 public higher education institutions in Sichuan Province, China. Invitations were distributed through a teacher training program initiated by the provincial education department in July 2023. Of 2680 respondents, exclusions included 92 incomplete responses, 25 duplicates, and 63 removed during data cleaning, yielding N=2500 (approx. 93.3% usable rate). Disciplines included math education, international economics and trade, accounting, financial management, business management, and statistics. Demographics collected: gender, professional rank (professors/associate professors, lecturers, teaching assistants), and institution type (national research-oriented vs provincial teaching-oriented). Ethical approval and informed consent procedures were followed. Measures: (1) Job stress (CWSS; Li, 2005): 24 items, 1–5 Likert scale. This study focused on three stress facets: employment security (1 item), interpersonal relationships (3 items), and work enjoyment (2 items). Prior studies show α=0.81–0.91. (2) Emotional intelligence (EIS; Schutte et al., Chinese version Wang, 2002): 33 items on a 1–5 scale, with reverse scoring for items 5, 28, 33; higher scores indicate higher EI. Three dimensions used: self-emotion appraisal (4 items), use of emotions (4), regulation of emotions (4) as per Wong and Law (2002). (3) Physical exercise (moderator): Single item adapted from IPAQ—“In the past 12 months, how many times per week did you typically engage in up to 30 min of physical activity that made you sweat?” Range 1–7; M=4.36. (4) Teaching Satisfaction (TSS; Ho and Au, 2006): 5 items, 1–5 Likert. Translation/back-translation ensured linguistic equivalence. Data handling and analysis: Responses with invariant patterns were removed. Missing data (<5%) were handled with expectation maximization. Analytic plan: (a) Reliability (Cronbach’s alpha) and CFA for each scale; (b) Pearson correlations and linear regressions (p<0.05, 0.01, 0.001); (c) Structural equation modeling (Mplus 8.0) with bootstrap mediation to test paths among job stress, EI, and teaching satisfaction; model fit assessed via RMSEA<0.08, SRMR<0.05, CFI>0.90, TLI>0.90. Moderation and moderated mediation: hierarchical regression and PROCESS Model 7 tested the interaction of physical exercise and job stress on EI and differences in indirect effects across low/high physical exercise. Model fit and reliability: Cronbach’s alphas ranged 0.785–0.892. CFA fits were good for EI (χ²=418.744, df=100, RMSEA=0.036, CFI=0.987, TLI=0.984, SRMR=0.021), JS (χ²=546.656, df=202, RMSEA=0.026, CFI=0.990, TLI=0.988, SRMR=0.017), TS (χ²=57.442, df=5, RMSEA=0.065, CFI=0.992, TLI=0.984, SRMR=0.013), and PE (CFI=TLI=1, p<0.001). Structural model fit: χ²=1566.41, df=846, RMSEA=0.018, CFI=0.989, TLI=0.988, SRMR=0.017.

Sample characteristics: 2500 teachers; gender: 44.8% male, 55.2% female; ranks: professors 20%, associate professors 34%, lecturers 40%, teaching assistants 6%; experience: 1–2 years 9.2%, 3–5 years 20.8%, 6–10 years 34%, ≥10 years 36%. Reliability: Cronbach’s alphas 0.785–0.892 across scales. CFA indicated good fit for EI, JS, TS, and PE. Descriptive correlations: Job stress (JS) negatively correlated with emotional intelligence (EI) r=−0.494 (p<0.01), teaching satisfaction (TS) r=−0.618 (p<0.01), and physical exercise (PE) r=−0.061 (p<0.01). EI positively correlated with TS r=0.592 (p<0.01) and PE r=0.097 (p<0.01). TS positively correlated with PE r=0.123 (p<0.01). Structural paths (SEM): JS→EI β=−0.551 (p<0.001); EI→TS β=0.418 (p<0.001); JS→TS β=−0.454 (p<0.001); overall model fit excellent (RMSEA=0.018; CFI=0.989; TLI=0.988; SRMR=0.017). Mediation: Indirect effect JS→EI→TS β=−0.230 (p<0.001), 95% CI [−0.259, −0.209], supporting H1–H4. Moderation and moderated mediation (PROCESS Model 7): Interaction JS×PE predicting EI significant (b=0.265, t=18.609, p<0.001), indicating physical exercise attenuates the negative relation between JS and EI. Simple slopes: high PE group b=−0.188 (t=−7.743, p<0.001); low PE group b=−0.827 (t=−34.433, p<0.001), showing a stronger negative JS–EI association at low PE. Bootstrap (5000 samples) indicated a significant difference in indirect effects between low vs high PE: contrast=0.274, 95% CI [0.239, 0.311], supporting H5. Overall, higher physical exercise frequency weakens the detrimental impact of job stress on EI and enhances teaching satisfaction via higher EI.

Findings confirm that job stress undermines teaching satisfaction directly and indirectly via reduced emotional intelligence, aligning with prior evidence on stress and teacher outcomes in higher education. EI positively predicts teaching satisfaction and mediates the stress–satisfaction link, highlighting EI as a key psychological resource for coping and performance. Physical exercise significantly moderates the job stress–EI path: more frequent exercise reduces the strength of the negative association between stress and EI, implying that exercise supports emotion regulation and resilience. The mediation operates at both low and high exercise levels but is stronger when exercise is higher, as evidenced by significant differences in indirect effects. These results underscore the practical value of fostering EI and encouraging regular physical exercise to buffer stress and improve satisfaction. For Chinese universities facing intensified performance demands, integrating psycho-cognitive training (EI skills) and behavioral health promotion (exercise) into faculty development may mitigate stress impacts and enhance teaching satisfaction.

The study establishes that among Chinese university teachers: (1) job stress negatively affects teaching satisfaction; (2) job stress negatively relates to EI; (3) EI positively predicts teaching satisfaction; (4) EI mediates the effect of job stress on teaching satisfaction; and (5) physical exercise moderates the stress–EI relationship, yielding stronger indirect benefits at higher exercise levels. The work contributes to EI theory and social cognitive perspectives by modeling a moderated mediation framework in a Chinese higher education context and provides actionable implications for faculty development programs to reduce stress and enhance satisfaction through EI enhancement and promotion of physical activity. Future research should employ longitudinal designs, test objective measures of physical activity and EI competencies, and explore demographic moderators to refine generalizability and causal inference.

- Cross-sectional design limits causal inference; longitudinal studies are needed. - Potential unexamined moderation by demographics (age, gender, teaching experience, education level). - Physical exercise assessed via self-report; objective measures (pedometers/accelerometers) would improve accuracy and reduce overestimation. - All variables measured by self-report, susceptible to response bias and social desirability. - EI assessed via self-report; ability-based or maximum-performance EI assessments may enhance validity.