Mediation of Work-and-Family Conflict in the Relationship between Social-and-Organizational Support and Teaching Self-Efficacy: The Case of Parent-Teachers Working Remotely

In times of crisis (e.g., during the COVID-19 pandemic), teachers face the dual responsibility of caring for their own children, while adapting to remote instruction. This study explores the interplay between social and organizational support, teaching self-efficacy, and the mediating effect of work-family conflict in remote teaching. The participants were 472 teachers who are parents of children aged 0-12. This mixed-methods study revealed that low levels of family-work and work-family conflict were associated with higher levels of social and organizational support, and teaching self-efficacy. A mediation effect revealed that social and organizational support predicted family-work conflict, which in turn predicted teaching self-efficacy. Qualitative findings highlighted the challenges and coping strategies used while working remotely. This research enhances our understanding of the work-family conflict encountered by parent-teachers, with important implications for teacher education. Such understanding facilitates effective management of family-work conflict during remote work, future epidemics, military conflicts, or natural disasters.