a mixed-methods investigation of mindfulness, teacher self-efficacy, and job satisfaction: toward a process model in efl higher education

Because job satisfaction plays a crucial role in teacher attrition, numerous scholars have investigated the predictive variables for occupational well-being in educational contexts. however, this research area has been relatively ignored in higher education contexts. to fill this lacuna, this research employed an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design to examine the predictive roles of teacher mindfulness and self-efficacy in impacting the job satisfaction of english instructors in various iranian universities. in the quantitative phase, data from 226 efl instructors were analyzed following a rigorous screening of an initial pool of 234 participants who completed measures of the focal constructs. structural equation modeling (sem) confirmed that teacher mindfulness and self-efficacy significantly predicted job satisfaction, with self-efficacy emerging as the strongest predictor. furthermore, mindfulness exerted a significant indirect effect on satisfaction through the mediation of self-efficacy. in the subsequent qualitative phase, follow-up semi-structured interviews were conducted with a purposive subsample of 12 instructors to clarify the mechanisms underlying these statistical paths. thematic analysis revealed that mindfulness facilitates a psychological pause through affective detachment, while self-efficacy provides the pedagogical agency necessary to maintain value-action congruence despite institutional stressors. these results suggest that mindfulness acts as a cognitive precursor that enhances pedagogical presence and professional resilience. the implications for developing targeted onboarding strategies and mindfulness-based interventions in higher education are discussed.