Abstract

Teaching self-efficacy is an early indicator of professional readiness, yet little is known about how positive mental health is associated with this belief among pre-service primary teachers. This cross-sectional study examined third- and fourth-year primary education students from two teacher education institutions in Vietnam. Positive mental health was measured with the Mental Health Continuum-Short Form, and teaching self-efficacy was measured with the Teachers' Sense of Efficacy Scale-Short Form. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, reliability analysis, correlation analysis, and hierarchical regression. The results showed that positive mental health was positively associated with teaching self-efficacy. Among the three dimensions of positive mental health, psychological well-being emerged as the most consistent predictor of overall teaching self-efficacy and its task-specific domains. Social well-being was also related to overall teaching self-efficacy and to efficacy for student engagement and instructional strategies, whereas emotional well-being did not remain an independent predictor when the other well-being dimensions were considered. The findings suggest that teacher education should treat positive mental health not only as a student welfare concern but also as a psychological resource linked to the formation of professional confidence.

Keywords

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