The Association between Teacher Engagement and Work–Life Balance among College English Teachers in Jilin Province, China

This study examined the association between teacher engagement and work–life balance (WLB) among college English teachers in Jilin Province, China, with particular attention to whether engagement accounts for additional variance in WLB beyond demographic characteristics. A quantitative cross-sectional survey design was adopted. Data were collected from college English teachers working in public and private higher-education institutions in Jilin Province, and 240 valid questionnaires were retained after data-quality screening. Teacher engagement was measured using the nine-item Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES-9), while WLB was assessed using the four-item Work–Life Balance scale developed by Brough et al. Data were analysed in SPSS through descriptive statistics, reliability analysis, Pearson correlation, and hierarchical multiple regression, with gender, teaching experience, academic title, weekly teaching hours, and institution type entered as control variables. The results showed that teacher engagement was positively and significantly associated with WLB. Hierarchical regression further indicated that engagement explained additional variance in WLB after demographic factors were controlled, suggesting that more engaged teachers tended to report more favourable perceptions of work–life balance. Although the cross-sectional design does not permit causal inference, the findings highlight teacher engagement as an important psychological resource related to teachers’ work–life experiences. By focusing on a regional higher-education EFL teaching context and modelling engagement as an explanatory resource beyond demographic characteristics, this study extends evidence on the engagement–WLB relationship among Chinese college English teachers and provides implications for engagement-supportive institutional practices.