Psychological empowerment increases retention intention among Chinese kindergarten teachers: A moderated mediation model

We conducted a survey with 554 kindergarten teachers in China to explore the relationship between psychological empowerment and retention intention, along with the mediating role of psychological capital and the moderating role of professional emotion. The results show that psychological empowerment had a positive effect on retention intention through the mediating effect of psychological capital. Additionally, professional emotion significantly moderated the effects of psychological capital on retention intention. Thus, we confirmed that psychological capital mediated the effects of psychological empowerment on retention intention and that professional emotion moderated the second half of this mediation process. The results of our study have theoretical and practical significance for proposing intervention measures to improve the retention intention of kindergarten teachers.