Job Satisfaction Among Early Childhood Educators and Preschool Teachers: The Role of Meaning at Work, Workplace Relationships and Teacher Stress

Teacher job satisfaction is a key component of teacher well-being and educational quality, particularly in early childhood education settings. This study examined how different dimensions of job satisfaction are associated with individual factors (sociodemographic characteristics and meaning at work) and work-related factors (perceived stress, workplace relationships, and satisfaction with training experiences) among Italian early childhood educators and preschool teachers. Participants were 259 professionals working with children aged 0–6 years who completed an online questionnaire assessing meaning at work, teacher stress, support from colleagues, and conflictual workplace relationships. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that Positive Meaning was the strongest and most consistent predictor across all dimensions of job satisfaction. Perceived support from colleagues positively predicted intrinsic, relational, and working conditions satisfaction, whereas conflictual workplace relationships negatively affected relational and working conditions satisfaction. Age, years of teaching experience, and work setting selectively influenced specific dimensions of job satisfaction. Overall, the findings highlight the importance of collaborative workplace climates and meaningful work in promoting teacher well-being in early childhood education contexts, suggesting that interventions should address both individual resources and the quality of workplace relationships.