Teaching Vocation as a Predictor of Subjective Well-being in Mexican Teachers

Although there are advances regarding the knowledge of subjective well-being from different sciences, there is a need to deepen research on the well-being of teachers. Furthermore, there are no studies that reveal the influence of the teaching vocation, despite being a desirable attitude in the educational exercise. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship, in predictive terms, between the vocation to teach and subjective well-being in active Mexican teachers. Through quantitative and cross-sectional research, 610 educators of different educational levels from different geographical areas of the country participated (average age: 38.08 years +/-10.8; 65.73% women and 34.17% men), they completed the following online instruments: the Teaching Vocation Questionnaire (CVOC-D) and the Subjective Wellbeing and Living Conditions scale. The analysis was performed using non-parametric correlation and comparison statistics, as well as a structural equation model (SEM). The results show that the commitment to education predominates and there is a low perception of the quality of public goods and services, in addition to significant differences by gender, marital status, level of studies and educational segment worked on various subscales of the instruments applied. Predictive analysis showed an association between vocation and subjective well-being. The implications of vocation as a protective factor against wear and tear and a trigger for the well-being of education professionals are discussed. By the other side, it is proposed to characterize vocation as an attitude, unlike the categorizations that have been made around it.