Promoting Parent-Teachers’ Wellbeing in Remote Instruction: Work–Family Conflict as a Mediator Between Support and Parental Self-Efficacy Among Parent-Teachers During the Pandemic

This study examines how protective factors contribute to teacher resilience and sustainable wellbeing during remote teaching, focusing specifically on parent-teachers who are balancing professional responsibilities with childcare. Within the broader context of research on educator resilience and professional practice, it explores the associations between social and organizational support, work–family conflict (WFC), and parenting self-efficacy (SE) and satisfaction, factors linked to educators’ capacity to manage dual roles effectively. The hypotheses were that (1) WFC would negatively correlate with parenting SE and satisfaction; (2) support from friends and family and from the workplace would be associated with lower WFC and higher parenting SE and satisfaction; and (3) WFC would mediate the relationship between support and parenting outcomes. Using a mixed-methods design with quantitative scales combined with open questions, data were collected through retrospective self-report questionnaires in relation to the COVID-19 lockdowns. The sample included 474 teachers who teach in schools in Israel and have children aged 0–12. The predictive mediation model confirmed the first two hypotheses, with partial support for the third. Qualitative findings provide insight into parent-teachers’ experiences, including gender-based differences, and emphasize factors associated with their adjustment to remote instruction. These findings contribute to understanding how social and organizational support—forms of collaborative and resilience-promoting mechanisms—may have an important role in promoting educator wellbeing through their negative association with work–family conflict. The findings should be examined further in longitudinal or experimental research and in additional cultural and educational contexts to examine their generalizability, as well as causality. Nonetheless, the findings provide possible directions for policy and interventions aimed at fostering resilience and sustainable wellbeing among teachers, particularly those navigating dual roles in their personal and professional lives.