Longitudinal changes in teachers’ psychological capital in China’s mainland (2009–2024)

As an important positive psychological resource that enables teachers to cope with occupational stress, maintain physical and mental well-being, and promote high-quality educational development, teachers’ psychological capital has substantial theoretical and practical significance. However, existing studies have predominantly relied on cross-sectional designs at single time points, making it difficult to systematically reveal the temporal trends in teachers’ psychological capital and the broader macro-social factors underlying these changes.

Accordingly, this study aims to examine whether teachers’ psychological capital in mainland China has changed over time and to further investigate the predictive roles of macro-level indicators, including socioeconomic development, educational investment, and social modernization. Focusing on in-service teachers in mainland China, this study employs a cross-temporal meta-analytic approach, standardizes teachers’ psychological capital scores reported in existing studies, and uses weighted meta-regression and lagged analyses to test cohort effects and the influence of macro-social indicators.