Professional identity and burnout among college teachers under China’s up-or-out policy: The role of psychological safety climate

While existing studies have focused on the influence of professional identity on teacher burnout, they have paid less attention to elucidating the underlying mechanisms between these two constructs. The implementation of a tenure-track system has raised significant concerns and instigated career anxiety among college teachers in China. As such, we sought to deepen understanding of the interplay between teachers’ professional identity and burnout under an up-or-out policy by investigating the moderating role of psychological safety climate. A sample of 193 college teachers from China participated in this research. The results revealed a higher prevalence of burnout among female teachers compared to their male counterparts, with psychological safety climate augmenting the negative association between teachers’ professional identity and burnout. Thus, educational institutions should facilitate the cultivation of professional identity among teachers and establish a psychologically safe climate.