The Promoting Role of Teachers’ Emotional Competence in Innovative Teaching Behaviors: The Mediating Effects of Teaching Efficacy and Work Vitality

Amid ongoing educational reforms and the rapid advancement of the knowledge economy, innovative teaching behaviors are not only closely related to teachers’ professional growth and students’ academic achievement but are also regarded as the key driving force for the evolution of the educational system. Consequently, identifying effective ways to foster teachers’ innovative teaching behaviors has become a central concern in educational psychology and management. Grounded in the Job Demands–Resources framework, this study developed and tested a chained mediation model using survey data from 1163 Chinese elementary and secondary school teachers. The model examines how teachers’ emotional competence fosters innovative teaching behaviors and elucidates the underlying mechanisms. The results revealed that (1) emotional competence significantly and positively predicted innovative teaching behaviors, and (2) teaching efficacy and work vitality served not only as independent mediators but also as sequential mediators in this relationship. These findings extend the understanding of the antecedents of teachers’ innovative behaviors from an emotional perspective, demonstrating that emotional competence, as a critical psychological resource, can be transformed into innovative teaching behaviors through dual “cognitive–motivational” and “energy–motivational” pathways. This study offers both theoretical insights and practical implications for advancing teaching innovation by strengthening teachers’ emotional competence, teaching efficacy, and work vitality.