Work-Life Balance and Teachers' Job Satisfaction at a Private University in Shandong Province

Cuihua Meng

doi:10.70088/d91y8163

Authors

Cuihua Meng University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.70088/d91y8163

Keywords:

work-life balance, job satisfaction, higher education, teacher well-being, educational management

Abstract

Against the backdrop of a sustained emphasis on performance metrics and continuous quality improvement in contemporary higher education governance, teachers' work-life balance has increasingly become a crucial factor influencing their overall job satisfaction and professional well-being. This paper takes faculty members at a private university in Shandong Province as the primary research subject, systematically examining the impact of three distinct dimensions of work-life balance on teachers' job satisfaction. A comprehensive cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted, successfully collecting 333 valid samples from the target demographic. Subsequently, descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation analysis, and multiple linear regression models were utilized for rigorous empirical analysis. The analytical results demonstrate that teachers' overall work-life balance and job satisfaction are currently maintained at a medium-to-high level. Furthermore, the total score of work-life balance and its three underlying dimensions are all significantly and positively correlated with job satisfaction. Notably, among these factors, the Work/Personal Life Enhancement (WPLE) dimension exhibits the strongest relationship with job satisfaction and emerges as the only dimension demonstrating a significant independent predictive effect. The research strongly indicates that fostering positive work-life interaction is fundamentally more crucial than simply alleviating workplace conflict when aiming to improve teachers' job satisfaction. Ultimately, this paper provides robust empirical support for ongoing research on job satisfaction among educators in Chinese private universities and offers practical, actionable evidence for academic institutions seeking to optimize and improve their comprehensive teacher support policies.

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