The Impact of Emotional Labor on Job Satisfaction of Special

Education Teachers: The Mediating Effect of Professional Identity

Fang Zhong

Faculty of Education and Human Development, The Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 999077, China

Keywords: Special Education Teachers, Emotional Labor, Professional Identity, Job Satisfaction.

Abstract: This research focuses on special education teachers (SETs) and utilizes scales measuring emotional labor,

professional identity and job satisfaction to analyze a group of 221 educators in the field. The primary objec-

tive is to establish a stronger theoretical foundation for improving job satisfaction among these educators by

examining the impact of emotional labor on their overall job satisfaction and the mediating role of professional

identity. The findings reveal that: (1) there is a significant negative correlation between surface acting and job

satisfaction, while deep and natural acting, emotional labor and professional identity all tend to correlate fa-

vorably with job satisfaction; (2) professional identity is crucial in mediating the connection between emo-

tional labor and job satisfaction for SETs. Consequently, it is essential to underscore the significance of pro-

fessional identity in efforts to boost job satisfaction within this group.

1 INTRODUCTION

As stated in the China Disabled Persons' Federation’s

issued report, over 85 million individuals in China are

disabled overall (The China Disabled Persons'

Federation, 2010). For these special groups, special

education can improve their ability to a certain extent,

enable them to better adapt to and integrate into

society, and live in society with more dignity, which

is of great significance to them, their families, and

even the whole society.

In this context, the Chinese Ministry of Education

has issued a series of policies, including the action

plan for advancing and improving special education

during the 14th five-year plan and the protection and

development plan for the disabled over the same

period (The China Disabled Persons' Federation,

2023). These policies aim to create better conditions

for the disabled and to promote the comprehensive

development of special education. In this process of

development, special education teachers (SETs) are

pivotal, yet they are facing great challenges. The

majority of special students have physical and/or

intellectual disabilities. Compared with the non-

disabled peers, they demonstrate more impaired

cognitive abilities and are more prone to various

emotional and behavioral problems. Furthermore, the

speed of special students' acquisition of knowledge

and skills is very slow, which can result in a sense of

teacher accomplishment being elusive. At the same

time, the students of special education are complex,

including children with physical disabilities, children

with intellectual disabilities, children on the autistic

spectrum, and so on. Compared with the students of

general education, they are more vulnerable and

sensitive. Moreover, in the eyes of the public, SETs

are often erroneously considered to be "nannies".

These characteristics require that they need to invest

more care and encouragement than teachers in

general education to support the development of

students' abilities, and they must also dedicate more

effort and emotional labor to cope with pressure and

meet work expectations. Research shows that

emotional labor significantly affects both educators

and students. Effective emotional labor promotes

education, but emotional resource consumption

affects teachers' physical and mental health, and

teachers' negative emotions in turn affect students

(Hong et al., 2022). At present, the emotional health

problems of SETs in China are serious, and the

prevalence of psychological issues reaches 25.63%,

significantly exceeding that of regular primary and

secondary educators (Xu, 2004). This situation

seriously affects the team dynamics of SETs,

underscoring the need for more nuanced attention to

their emotional labor.

Hochschild first put forth the notion of emotional

labor in 1979. It refers to the psychological process in

which individuals show reasonable emotions in

384

Zhong, F.

The Impact of Emotional Labor on Job Satisfaction of Special Education Teachers: the Mediating Effect of Professional Identity.

DOI: 10.5220/0013996200004912

Paper published under CC license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

In Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Innovative Education and Social Development (IESD 2025), pages 384-392

ISBN: 978-989-758-779-5

accordance with organizational requirements in order

to promote the smooth completion of tasks

(Hochschild, 2019). From different research

perspectives, different scholars have also put forward

different definitions. At present, the academic

community generally believes that emotional labor

includes three dimensions, namely, surface acting,

deep acting and natural acting. Surface acting is

known as the suppression of authentic emotional

reactions to meet organizational expectations. Deep

acting refers to individuals adjusting their emotions

through self-regulation and expressing feelings that

the organization deems appropriate (Hochschild,

2019). Natural acting, on the other hand, is defined as

the authentic expression of personal feelings

(Diefendorff et al., 2005). The present study aligns

with the three-dimensional theory, which categorizes

acting styles as surface, deep, and natural, and divides

the emotional labor of SETs into these three distinct

dimensions.

As is widely acknowledged, the emotions that

individuals experienced inside are not always

consistent with the expectations of organizations. In

the workplace, individuals typically seek to express

positive emotions. However, individual emotions are

inherently variable. When such emotions deviate

from the organizational requirements, people must

adapt their feelings to conform to the organization’s

expectations. The larger gap between a person’s

feelings and their emotional expression, the more

emotional labor the individual needs to pay. As

demonstrated by extant research, surface behavior in

emotional labor has a detrimental impact on

emotional exhaustion and job satisfaction (Zhang &

Zhu, 2008). Xu and Liu, taking teachers as research

objects, showed that emotional labor had an adverse

association with occupational burnout, and was

positively correlated with teaching efficacy.

Emotional labor also played an intermediary role in

teaching efficacy and teacher job burnout (Xu & Liu,

2011). In the investigation into the emotional labor

undertaken by SETs, Zhou observed that these

educators consistently exhibited a substantial degree

of emotional labor (Zhou, 2016). Ger pointed out that

the emotional labor and surface behavior of SETs had

a significant positive predictive value for emotional

exhaustion, natural behavior exhibited a significant

negative predictive value for emotional exhaustion,

and deep behavior demonstrated no significant

impact on emotional exhaustion (Ger, 2022).

The notion of job satisfaction was first proposed

by scholars as early as the 1930s. According to

Hoppock, job satisfaction is the feeling of a certain

degree of satisfaction that employees get from work

and is the subjective response of individuals to the

work situation (Hoppock, 1935). Specifically,

satisfaction at work is of great importance, signifying

a satisfying or favorable emotional condition

experienced by employees in their professional

environment. A high level of job satisfaction

indicates that individuals are more able to obtain

positive emotional experience at work and are more

willing to engage in work, while a low level of job

satisfaction can result in a range of adverse behaviors,

including resignation and early retirement (Madigan

& Kim, 2021). Consequently, enhancing job

satisfaction among SETs is imperative for

maintaining their professional stability. In previous

studies, there are many factors exerting an influence

on job satisfaction, including job return, leadership,

work collaboration, age, gender and other factors. In

addition, extant research has identified emotional

labor as a contributing factor diminishing job

satisfaction (Cheung et al., 2011). Xiong's research

further demonstrated that the emotional labor

performance of SETs, including emotional

weakening and surface acting, had a detrimental

effect on job satisfaction (Xiong, 2019).

Professional identity is defined as the individual's

perspective on the goals, societal values and related

aspects of their chosen profession. Teachers'

professional identity reflects the overall cognition and

attitude of the teaching profession formed in the

process of teaching. For SETs, Chai and Wang

mentioned in their research that compared with

ordinary schoolteachers, the professional identity of

special educators was relatively low (Chai & Wang,

2014). In the study of professional identity, scholars

have indicated that it exerted a notable influence on

job satisfaction. The correlation between professional

identity and job satisfaction is such that a person's

heightened sense of professional identity is positively

associated with increased job satisfaction. Teachers

exhibiting robust professional identity perceive their

profession as valuable and meaningful and derive

satisfaction from it. In contrast, teachers with a

diminished sense of professional identity experience

negative emotional responses in their professional

endeavors, subsequently influencing their overall job

satisfaction (Ostad et al., 2019). Additionally, studies

further demonstrated that professional identity

partially mediated the connection between teachers'

emotional labor (surface acting) and their intention to

resign and as teachers' tenure increased, surface

acting exerted a more pronounced effect on their

professional identity (Hong et al., 2023). In the

research on preschool teachers, Wei et al. also

highlighted that the professional identity of preschool

The Impact of Emotional Labor on Job Satisfaction of Special Education Teachers: the Mediating Effect of Professional Identity

385

teachers would influence the emotional labor

strategies they employ, predominantly natural acting

and deep acting (Wei et al., 2021).

At present, despite the increasing research

conducted by scholars on the subject of emotional

labor, the overall volume of studies in this area

remains modest. Furthermore, the number of studies

focusing on SETs as research participants is limited.

A select group of scholars have conducted relevant

research in this area. However, research examining

the correlation between emotional labor and its

associated variables, along with the intermediate

process mechanism, remains underdeveloped.

Similarly, there is a scarcity of studies specifically

examining emotional labor in SETs and its potential

ramifications on job satisfaction. Furthermore, the

intermediary processes of emotional labor

influencing job satisfaction remain inadequately

investigated. To address these gaps in knowledge, the

current study aims to utilize a sample of SETs as the

research population to explore how emotional labor

influences their job satisfaction and introduce the

notion of professional identity as a potential mediator

to ascertain whether it functions as an intermediary in

the connection between job satisfaction and

emotional labor. This study’s findings are not only

beneficial to the enhancement of the extant research

system in the domain of special education but also

serve as a catalyst for the relevant departments to

accord greater importance to the mental well-being of

SETs, thereby enhancing their satisfaction towards

job and ultimately promoting the advancement of

special education.

In conclusion, this paper proposes the hypothesis

that the emotional labor undertaken by SETs exerts a

notable impact on their satisfaction at work, and

professional identity acts as a mediating factor in the

process of emotional labor affecting job satisfaction.

Figure 1 illustrates the proposed model of this

research.

Figure 1: Mediating role model of professional identity

(assumed).

2 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

2.1 Research Object

The SETs in public special education schools in

Guangdong Province were selected as the research

objects in this paper. The cluster sampling method

was employed to conduct online and offline

questionnaire surveys. This study distributed a total

of 250 questionnaires, and 232 were retrieved.

Subsequent to excluding the invalid responses (i.e.

those completed in less than 60 seconds or contained

conflicting data, or were repeated), a final count of

221 valid questionnaires were obtained. This resulted

in the recovery rate of 95.3%. The demographic

details of the teaching staff are presented in Table 1.

Table 1: Basic information of survey samples (n=221).

category number percentage

gender male 83 37.6%

female 138 62.4%

head

teacher or

yes 101 45.7%

no 120 54.3%

profession

al title

no professional title 38 17.2%

junior professional

title

70 31.7%

intermediate

rofessional title

90 40.7%

senior professional

title

23 10.4%

age 20-30 years 66 29.9%

31-40 years 93 42.1%

41-50 years 53 24.0%

over 50 years 9 4.1%

education

backgrou

college degree or

elow

15 6.8%

undergraduate 174 78.7%

master’s degree or

above

32 14.5%

specialty special education 141 63.8%

nonspecial education 80 36.2%

seniority less than 5 years 72 32.6%

5-10 years 51 23.1%

10-15 years 29 13.1%

over 15 years 69 31.2%

state

system

in 174 78.7%

out 47 21.3%

monthly

income

below 5000 yuan 27 12.2%

5000-8000 yuan 82 37.1%

8000-10000 yuan 75 33.9%

above 10000 yuan 37 16.7%

IESD 2025 - International Conference on Innovative Education and Social Development

386

2.2 Research Tools

2.2.1 Emotional Labor Scale

J.M. diefendorff's emotional labor questionnaire was

used for measurement (Diefendorff et al., 2005). The

questionnaire comprises three dimensions: natural,

deep and surface acting, with 3, 4, 7 items

respectively. The Likert scale was employed in this

study to award scores from 1 to 5, where 1 signifies

"completely unqualified" and 5 denotes "fully

qualified". The confirmatory factor analysis results

indicated that the fit indices were acceptable

(x2/DF=3.74, RMSEA=0.048, P<0.05, CFI=0.92, IFI

= 0.92). In this paper, the Cronbach's α values for the

three components were 0.921, 0.886, and 0.848, and

the α coefficient of the whole scale was 0.774. In the

three sub-scales, it was demonstrated that the higher

the score of a sub-scale, the more subjects adopted the

strategy.

2.2.2 Teacher Professional Identity Scale

The teacher professional identity scale employed in

this study was compiled by Wei Shuhua (Wei et al.,

2013). The scale comprises 18 items, which are

divided into four dimensions: role values, behavioral

propensities, job values and sense of belonging. The

alpha coefficient of each factor ranges from 0.72 to

0.86. The correlation between each factor is low and

medium (0.20-0.55), and the correlation with the total

scale is high (0.58-0.81). All correlations reach

statistically significant levels. The scale employs a

Likert 5-point scoring system, ranging from

'completely unqualified' to 'fully qualified', with

points allocation of 1-5 (1=completely unqualified,

5=fully qualified). Scores that are higher on the scale

are indicative of elevated levels of professional

identity. The Cronbach's α for this study’s scale is

0.916, suggesting a high degree of reliability.

2.2.3 Teacher Job Satisfaction Scale

The teacher job satisfaction scale was developed by

Zhu Linghui (Zhu, 2011). A 5-point Likert scale was

used for scoring, where 'extremely dissatisfied'

received a score of 1 and 'extremely satisfied'

received a score of 5. The overall scale consists of 10

items of four factors: cognition of work itself,

cognition of work welfare security, cognition of job

promotion prospect and cognition of work

interpersonal environment. The α coefficient of each

factor ranges from 0.68 to 0.80, with the total scale

demonstrating an α coefficient of 0.901, which

indicates that the scale demonstrates good reliability.

2.3 Data Statistics and Analysis

Descriptive statistical analysis and variable

relationship assessment of the questionnaire were

performed using SPSS27.0 software. Initially, the

descriptive statistical analysis was employed to

examine the respondents' demographic composition,

including gender ratio, age ratio, etc. Secondly, this

study used mean analysis to statistically analyze the

average level of teachers' emotional labor,

professional identity and job satisfaction variables. In

addition, this study also studied whether there is a

significant link between emotional labor and

professional identity. The regression analysis was

used to verify whether teachers' emotional labor had

an important impact on job satisfaction. Finally, the

study utilized stepwise regression to analyze the

mediating effect of teachers' professional identity.

3 RESULTS

3.1 Common Method Deviation

Inspection

The Harman single factor method was employed to

determine the existence of any potential serious

common method bias. The analytical results indicate

that nine factors possess eigenvalues exceeding 1,

with the first factor representing 29.195% of the

variation. This ratio is below the essential standard of

40%, signifying minimal common methodological

bias within this research (Podsakoff et al., 2003).

3.2 Descriptive Statistics and

Correlation Analysis of Variables

In this paper, the mean, standard deviation, and inter-

variable correlations were analyzed through

statistical assessments. The outcomes are presented in

Table 2. Among the three sub-dimensions of

emotional labor (surface, deep and natural acting), a

notable negative correlation has been observed

between surface behavior in emotional labor and

teachers’ job satisfaction (r=-0.211, p<0.01). In

contrast, deep and natural acting exhibit a substantial

positive correlation with teachers' satisfaction

towards job (r=0.338, p<0.01; r=0.257, p<0.01). In

addition, the correlation coefficients of emotional

labor, teachers' professional identity and job

satisfaction are 0.233 and 0.605, respectively,

indicating strong positive correlations. In the

demographic variables, gender, education background

The Impact of Emotional Labor on Job Satisfaction of Special Education Teachers: the Mediating Effect of Professional Identity

387

Table 2: Statistical descriptions and correlation assessments of the variables (n=221).

gende

age education

background

speci

alty

senio

rity

state

system

professio

nal title

surface

acting

deep

acting

natural

acting

emotional

labor

professi

onal

identity

job

satisfa

ction

gender 1

age

0.10

education

background

.152

.159

specialty

0.00

0.05

-0.003 1

seniority

0.08

.797

-.156* -

0.034

state

system

0.03

.239

-.210** 0.092 -

.271*

professiona

l title

0.03

.670

-0.028 -

0.089

.738*

.258**

surface

acting

0.03

.419

.137* -

0.039

.357*

0.028 -.311** 1

deep acting

0.01

0.09

-0.069 0.02 -

0.067

-0.064 0.095 .172* 1

natural

acting

.264

0.1 0.075 0.092 0.082 -0.051 0.087 -.512** 0.089 1

emotional

labor

0.12

.271

0.079 0.038 -

.225*

-0.053 -0.084 .470** .831** .270** 1

professiona

l identit

0.06

0.12

-0.057 0.107 .133* -0.098 .253** -.259** .347** .508** .342** 1

job

satisfaction

.243

0.06

-.208** -

0.023

0.043

-0.038 .161** -.211** .338** .257** .233** .605*

1.62

2.02 2.08 1.36 2.43 1.21 2.44 2.27 3.04 3.76 3.02 3.92 3.32

0.48

0.83

0.456 0.482 1.236 0.41 0.896 1.056 1.14 0.895 0.562 0.641 0.781

Note: * signifies significance at p<0.05 (two-tailed); ** signifies significance at p<0.01 (two-tailed).

and professional title have demonstrated statistically

significant correlations with the dependent variables.

Consequently, these variables will serve as control

variables in the subsequent analysis of mediation

effects.

3.3 Mediation Analysis

To test the mediation model, this study employed the

SPSS27.0 process plug-in to analyze the variables.

Taking gender, education background and

professional title as control variables, this study has

examined how professional identity acts as a mediator

in the connection between emotional labor and job

satisfaction. The findings indicate that emotional

labor has the potential to predict one's professional

identity (β = 0.419, SE = 0.074, p < .000) and

professional identity is a predictor of job satisfaction

(β = 0.739, SE = 0.066, p < .000). However,

emotional labor does not predict job satisfaction. This

model is a complete mediation model (see Table 3).

The direct effect value is 0.107, accounting for

26.35% of the variance, and the intermediate effect

value is 0.300, accounting for 73.65% (see Table 4).

The relationship model for each variable is illustrated

in Figure 2.

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388

Table 3: Regression analysis of emotional labor, professional identity and job satisfaction.

rofessional identit

ob satisfaction

95%CI

emotional labo

0.419*** 0.074 0.000 [.317,.608] 0.072 0.078 0.358 [-.081,.224]

rofessional identit

——

0.739*** 0.066 0.000 [.609,.869]

job satisfaction

——

Table 4: Breakdown of the direct effect, the intermediary effect and the total effect.

effect name effect value standard erro

95%CI effect

ortion

(

)

direct effect 0.107 0.075 [-.042,.256] 26.35

mediation effect 0.300 0.056 [.191,.409] 73.65

total effect 0.406 0.086 [.238,.576] 100

Note: *** at the 0.001level (two-tailed), the correlation is significant.

Figure 2: Mediating role model of professional identity.

4 DISCUSSION

4.1 The Overall Situation of Emotional

Labor, Professional Identity and

Job Satisfaction of SETs

This study found that the emotional labor,

professional identity and job satisfaction of SETs

were at the upper middle level (emotional labor:

M=3.025, professional identity: M=3.918, job

satisfaction: M=3.317). In comparison with regular

schoolteachers, SETs are required to invest more

emotional labor in their daily education due to the

unique needs of children with special educational

needs. Despite the challenges posed by children's

reluctance to acquire knowledge and skills, and their

emotional behavioral problems, teachers are expected

to demonstrate understanding and acceptance, and to

take appropriate measures to intervene. In addition,

the study revealed that the professional identity and

job satisfaction of SETs were also at the upper middle

level. Firstly, the state has increased its support for

the special education industry, leading to the

development and diversification of the welfare

system and the optimization of industry subsidies.

These developments have further improved the

working conditions in the special education industry,

satisfied the employment aspirations of SETs to a

certain extent, and enhanced their recognition of their

work. This, in turn, has contributed to enhancing job

satisfaction. Secondly, SETs do not need to face the

pressure of students' academic performance

assessment and promotion in their work. What’s

more, the relatively small class size also has a positive

effect on their workload and stress levels, thereby

promoting the development of professional identity

and job satisfaction. Finally, the majority of SETs

have backgrounds in special education, psychology

and pedagogy, which is an advantage in this field.

This equips them with a comprehensive

understanding of their professional values and a firm

grasp of the relevant professional knowledge prior to

commencing their duties, which in turn fosters a deep

sense of professional satisfaction and a stronger

professional identity in their professional practice.

4.2 The Correlation Analysis of

Emotional Labor, Professional

Identity and Job Satisfaction

The research revealed that, within the context of

emotional labor, surface acting exhibited a

statistically significant adverse correlation with both

professional identity and teachers' job satisfaction

(r=-0.259, p<0.01; r=-0.211, p<0.01). Conversely,

deep acting and natural acting demonstrated positive

correlations with professional identity (r=0.347,

p<0.01; r=0.508, p<0.01). Furthermore, the findings

underscored a positive correlation among deep acting,

natural acting, professional identity and teachers' job

satisfaction (r=0.338, p<0.01; r=0.257, p<0.01;

r=0.605, p<0.01). These findings are consonant with

those reported in prior research (Zhang & Zhu, 2008;

Cheung et al., 2011; Ostad et al., 2019). Surface

acting needs to suppress their own authentic

emotional responses and express the anticipated

unrealistic emotions of the organization. Deep acting

is a conscious strategy that adjusts themselves when

The Impact of Emotional Labor on Job Satisfaction of Special Education Teachers: the Mediating Effect of Professional Identity

389

expressing the emotions expected by the working

environment. Natural acting, on the other hand, is an

expression of authentic feelings. When individuals

use the surface acting strategy, they often find

themselves suppressing negative emotional behavior

and falsely expressing positive emotional behavior.

This false emotional expression is inconsistent with

the real emotions experienced, which can lead to

emotional disorder, anxiety and tension and then has

a detrimental effect on the sense of identity for work

and reduce job satisfaction (Zapf, 2002). Conversely,

when SETs adopt the deep acting strategy, they will

change their cognition, so that the inner emotions are

consistent with the external emotional expression.

When using the natural acting strategy, the individual

expresses the authentic feelings. Internal and external

consistency will not make individuals perceive

imbalance, which, in turn, is conducive to improving

professional identity and job satisfaction (Goldberg &

Grandey, 2007). Professional identity, in this context,

is defined as teachers' views and opinions on their

chosen occupation. A high sense of professional

identity is indicative of teachers who perceive their

occupation as meaningful, valuable, and enjoyable.

For SETs, a high sense of professional identity is

characterized by a positive attitude towards the cause

of special education, the capacity to respond

proactively to professional challenges, and a greater

ability to derive enjoyment and value from one's

work. This, in turn, leads to higher levels of

satisfaction at work.

4.3 The Intermediary Function of

Professional Identity in the

Relationship Between Emotional

Labor and Job Satisfaction

Current research identified a significant mediating

function of professional identity in the association

between emotional labor and job satisfaction among

special educators. Specifically, emotional labor can

positively predict professional identity, and

professional identity is positively linked with job

satisfaction, but emotional labor cannot exhibit a

direct predictive effect on job satisfaction. These

findings show the pivotal intermediary function of

professional identity in the impact of emotional labor

on job satisfaction. One potential explanation for this

phenomenon is that emotional labor can be

understood as a complex construct, consisting of

three unique dimensions: surface, deep and natural

acting. Previous studies have demonstrated that in

emotional labor, surface acting exerts a detrimental

influence on job satisfaction (Li et al., 2022). Deep

acting requires high emotional regulation ability,

while natural acting is to directly reveal genuine

emotions. For special educators, due to the unique

nature of the education object, the work difficulty and

complexity are much higher than those of ordinary

schoolteachers, and they need to often control

negative emotions and behaviors, which will lead

them to use more surface acting and less deep acting

to regulate external emotional performance.

Concurrently, the requisites of the educational

profession and societal expectations necessitate that

teachers consistently serve as role models for their

students. They rarely employ natural acting in their

work, which will weaken the impact of deep acting

and natural acting on job satisfaction to a certain

extent. Emotional labor, as the aggregate of the three

dimensions, may not directly predict job satisfaction

when influenced by other variables.

Current research indicates a direct relationship

between the extent of emotional labor and the

subsequent consumption of psychological resources.

When individuals experience greater consumption of

psychological resources than they obtain, more

negative emotions will be generated at work, which

will weaken the recognition of work (Liu et al., 2024).

Concurrently, emotional labor has been demonstrated

to precipitate job burnout. The degree of job burnout

in teachers has been found to be positively correlated

with the extent to which they derive enjoyment from

their work and negatively correlated with their sense

of professional identity (Kariou et al., 2021).

Professional identity is defined as the manifestation

of a person's positive attitude and degree of

engagement in their occupation, reflecting the

individual's recognition of the intrinsic value of their

occupation and emotional preference (Blau, 1985).

Teachers' professional identity is an intrinsic

motivating force and prerequisite for their love and

dedication to education, which can affect their

conscious participation in education (Wang, 2020).

The promotion of professional identity and self-worth

cognition in SETs has been shown to have a positive

effect on their professional practice, reducing

negative emotions and enhancing positive emotions.

This process has been shown to have a positive

impact on job satisfaction (Lu et al., 2022). It can be

posited that career identity functions as a significant

intermediary factor between emotional labor and job

satisfaction. A strong professional identity fosters a

constant internal drive that propels individuals to

engage in their work in a proactive manner.

Regarding the requirements of emotional labor,

individuals possess the capacity to proactively adapt

and adjust their cognitive processes in a timely

IESD 2025 - International Conference on Innovative Education and Social Development

390

manner, thereby more effectively confronting

challenges in their professional environment and

attaining heightened job satisfaction.

4.4 Research Limitations and Prospects

This paper has some deficiencies. The first is the

limitation of the scale. The emotional labor

measurement utilized in this paper is derived from the

seminal work of scholars from other countries outside

China in the field. In future research, consideration

should be given to the utilization of a scale developed

by Chinese scholars and its subsequent discussion in

the context of the actual work of SETs. Secondly, the

research sample is limited. Due to the limitations of

subjective and objective conditions, the research

objects of this study are mainly SETs in Guangdong

Province, and most of the respondents are female

teachers, which may make the research results biased.

In future research, a broader region should be

targeted, and the sample distribution should be as

uniform as possible. Furthermore, the influence

mechanism of emotional labor on job satisfaction

requires further refinement. The impact path of

emotional labor on job satisfaction is complex. It is

possible that other mediating variables exist. The

relationship between the two is also significantly

impacted by some demographic variables. In future

research, scholars may wish to consider conducting

longitudinal studies or exploring the role of other

potential mediators.

5 CONCLUSION

Firstly, it is apparent that SETs exhibit relatively high

levels of emotional labor, professional identity, and

job satisfaction. Secondly, in emotional labor, surface

acting demonstrates a significantly unfavorable

correlation with teachers' job satisfaction.

Conversely, deep and natural acting, emotional labor,

professional identity and job satisfaction exhibit a

markedly favorable correlation. Finally, professional

identity serves a pivotal intermediary function

between emotional labor and job satisfaction for

special educators.

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