Sustainable Development Mechanism in Rural Kindergartens: The Relationships among Enabling Organizational Structure, Kindergarten Directors’ Leadership and Early Childhood Teachers’ Well-Being

Abstract

Kindergarten directors’ leadership, early childhood teachers’ well-being, and enabling organizational structure are important components of ecological development in kindergartens. To understand the relationships among the three, identification of the driving force for the sustainable development of kindergartens in rural China must occur. This study used the Kindergarten Care and Education Leadership Questionnaire, the Enabling Organizational Structure Scale, and the Teacher Well-being Scale as research instruments to explore these relationships in an online survey of rural early childhood teachers (N = 1958, 98.3% female, 23.5% unmarried, 76.5% married, 68.8% county, and 31.2% rural). The study found that the overall levels of rural early childhood teachers’ well-being, director leadership, and enabling organizational structure were all in the medium to high range. There is a two-way effect between director leadership and enabling organizational structure, with kindergarten directors’ leadership positively predicting early childhood teachers’ well-being, but this effect is mainly mediated through the enabling organization. Therefore, to achieve sustainable development in rural kindergartens, emphasis needs to be placed on building an enabling organizational structure based on early childhood teachers’ well-being and kindergarten directors’ leadership.

1. Introduction

Between the end of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century, the “3A” problem of early childhood education (ECE) in China embodied serious equity issues, which drew great attention from the Chinese government [1]. The “3A” problem [2], namely, accessibility (difficulty entering kindergarten), affordability (expensive tuition), and accountability (poor quality and no monitoring system), is particularly acute in rural areas and has become the focus of ECE in China [3]. To solve these problems, the government promulgated the Several Views on the Development of ECE by the “State Council and Outline of China’s National Plan for Medium and Long-Term Education Reform and Development (2010–2020)” in 2010 [4]. ECE in China has developed rapidly, and gross enrollment in ECE has increased from 62.3% [5] in 2011 to 88.1% in 2021 [6], basically achieving universal access to ECE. The issue of ECE accessibility in rural areas in China has been solved [7]. The development of ECE in China has also shifted from quantity to quality [8,9].

Teachers are a central element of ECE quality, and teachers’ well-being (TWB) inevitably affects the effectiveness of their work [10]. In the context of the vigorous development of ECE in rural areas, the professional development of teachers and directors in rural kindergarten in China has been given priority [11], which means that the sustainable development of ECE in rural kindergartens can be maintained [12], and a good foundation for the further development of ECE in rural areas has been given.

In Urie Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory [13], the proper functioning of the kindergarten system is the result of the collaboration of the director, the organization, and the teachers. In the ecology of rural kindergartens, the sustainable development of rural kindergartens should also be the result of the cooperation of teachers, directors, and organizations, which is also in line with the theory of synergetics [14]. In the small systems in which the principal, teachers, and organizations coexist, they are related to each other. In terms of the responsibilities of the director and the organization, the mobilization of teachers and the realization of their professional aspirations (i.e., the achievement of personal professional happiness [15]) are important elements and objectives of their work.

2. Literature Review

2.1. The Impact of Kindergarten Directors’ Leadership on Organizational Structure and Early Childhood Teachers’ Well-Being

Leadership is the ability of leaders to influence followers and stakeholders in achieving organizational goals. The interaction between leaders, followers, and stakeholders is a competent process [16]. The process of manifesting leadership is often linked to organizational structure. Henry Mintzberg and Robbins define organizational structure as the sum of methods that divide work into different tasks and then coordinate and integrate them to achieve the goals of the work [17,18]. Some researchers have also taken process factors into account, with Hall and Fremont arguing that [19,20] organizational structure is the composition of people and power relations, work tasks, and processes within an organization. In addition, other elements are formed through the interaction of members within the organization.

Hartnell et al.argue [21] that leadership can have an impact on organizations and that this impact can be seen as a change in organizational structure. The positive effects of servant leadership on performance are more evident in the context of small organizational structures [22]. From a realistic point of view, leaders are also generally involved in the management of their organizations to work better, and play an important role in the organizational structure. That is, organizational functions cannot be performed without higher-level leadership [23].

Leadership also contributes to individual well-being. Park et al. found [24] that leadership had a positive predictive effect on employee well-being. A survey of 843 primary and secondary school teachers conducted by Wang et al. [25] found that principal leadership positively affects TWB. Similarly, other researchers found [26] a relationship between principal leadership and TWB, with schools where principals rated themselves high and acted consistently with their ratings having the highest levels of TWB. Therefore, Hypothesis H1 is that kindergarten directors’ leadership (KDL) positively predicts enabling organizational structure (EOS); Hypothesis H2 is that KDL positively predicts TWB.

2.2. The Impact of Organizational Structure on Kindergarten Directors’ Leadership and Early Childhood Teachers’ Well-Being

Organizational structure influences the performance of leadership behavior, i.e., the level of leadership [27]. The reform of the organizational structure is also aimed at leadership formation and development, i.e., at motivating individuals to work. In particular, the emergence of individual leadership has contributed to a certain extent to the change in organizational structure. Judge et al.argue [28] that with the trend toward flattening corporate management and the increasing blurring of organizational boundaries, the optimization of corporate performance requires the informal leadership of team members and depends on whether and to what extent individuals are perceived as leaders, a view also shared by Chinese scholars [29]. In the view of the researcher, this process is also the process of leader emergence, i.e., the emergence of individual leadership is also the process of individual leader emergence [30]. The goal of corporate reform is for everyone to become a leader to develop leadership in everyone, an approach that is more effective than the traditional leadership approach [31]. To a certain extent, the emergence of individual leadership also implies a change in organizational structure. However, optimizing organizational structure also requires the intervention of strong leadership [32]. In other words, there is a reciprocal relationship between leadership and organizational structure [33].

In the context of increased social competition, researchers argue that teachers’ burnout affects their physical and mental health and that organizational support is beneficial to TWB [34]. Researchers have found that organizational support relieves job stress [35], reduces job burnout [36], impacts responsiveness toward children [37], and makes it easier for teachers to achieve professional fulfilment, i.e., to achieve professional well-being [38]. In particular, an enabling organization that brings a sense of fairness is more likely to reduce burnout and motivate individuals to work [39]. Organizations can also enhance the well-being of individuals in various ways through work and life [40,41]. It has also been found [42] that organizational support mediates the relationship between leadership and employee well-being.

Based on these findings, the following hypotheses are proposed (Figure 1): Hypothesis H3: EOS in kindergarten positively predicts KDL. Hypothesis H4: EOS positively predicts TWB. If these four hypotheses hold true, on this basis, Hypothesis H5 is that EOS mediates the relationship between KDL and TWB, and Hypothesis H6 is that KDL mediates the relationship between EOS and TWB.

3. Material and Methods

3.1. Participant

Based on the Ethics Committee of the first author’s university, this study distributed questionnaires online, and preschool teachers in rural areas volunteered to participate. A total of 2002 teachers in rural and county kindergartens from a total of eight provinces and cities were selected (

Table 1. Participants’ characteristics (N = 1958).

Demographic Characteristics	Options	Percent (%)	Demographic Characteristics	Options	Percent (%)
Educational background	Junior Secondary and below	4.5	Gender	Male	1.7
	Senior high school	15.3		Female	98.3
	Specialized schools	40.4	Kindergarten Address	County	68.8
	Undergraduate and above	39.7		Village	31.2
Family Status	Unmarried	23.5	Age	≤30	39.6
	Married without children	5.3		31–40	34.5
	Married with children	71.2		41–50	18.8
Teacher major	Preschool education major	64.3		≥51	7.1
	Education Non-Preschool major	20.4	Registered qualified teacher	Yes	41
	Non-education majors	15.3		No	56.1
				Temporary establishment	2.9

), including Jilin, Hebei, Hubei, Guangxi, Guizhou, Fujian, Gansu, and Guangdong. Questionnaires were collected and reviewed. The effective recovery rate was 97.8%, and of those, 1958 questionnaires were deemed to be valid. Of these, 23.5% were unmarried kindergarten teachers, 5.3% were married with no children, and 71.2% were married with children. A total of 68.8% were in county kindergartens, and 31.2% were in rural kindergartens.

3.2. Measures

3.2.1. Kindergarten Directors’ Leadership Scale

The KDL questionnaire has a typical three-dimensional view and a four-dimensional view. KDL was measured with the Childcare Education Questionnaire developed by Chinese scholars Yao and Wu and the Professional Literacy Questionnaire for Kindergarten Directors developed by Hong et al., which considers the leadership of kindergarten directors in terms of value leadership, educational leadership, and organizational leadership [43]. This is a three-dimensional view of KDL and is consistent with the requirements for kindergarten directors in the United States, New Zealand, and Canada [44]. The leadership questionnaire in the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) has a four-dimensional view [45]. The leadership questionnaire in the PISA project is divided into four dimensions, namely, targeted leadership, instructional leadership, professional development, and teacher participation, where value leadership is aligned with targeted leadership in the PISA. Organizational leadership, in turn, is aligned with teacher participation in the PISA. Educational leadership is equivalent to instructional leadership in the PISA, with a professional development component. In ECE, the professional development of teachers ultimately translates into childcare and education, which is also the content of educational leadership, and it is evident that educational leadership is actually closely linked to the professional development of teachers. Thus, in terms of the basic content of the leadership questionnaire, the views of Chinese scholars on KDL are largely similar to those of the leadership questionnaire in the PISA. Therefore, this study used the KDL in Childcare Education Questionnaire directors by Yao and Wu .

A Likert 6-point scale is used in this study, with “1” indicating strong disagreement and “6” indicates strong agreement, with higher scores indicating higher levels of leadership among kindergarten directors. The reliability of the three dimensions in the researcher’s practical application was [46]: 0.93 (targeted leadership), 0.94 (institutional leadership), and 0.94 (teacher participation), with a Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 0.97 and a theoretical median of 3.5 for the Kindergarten Directors’ Leadership Questionnaire. Among them, in the dimension of targeted leadership, “the kindergarten director ensures that the professional development activities of teachers are consistent with the educational goals of kindergartens”; in the dimension of instructional leadership, “the kindergarten director improves teaching practices according to recent educational research results”; and in the dimension of teacher participation, “the kindergarten director invites teachers to comment and offer suggestions on kindergarten management”.

First, SPSS 26.0 was used to explore the KDL structure in the Chinese context, removing the dimension of professional development from the original questionnaire for analysis, which showed a KMO = 0.944 and Bartlett’s test of sphericity χ² = 22,938.859 (df = 45, p < 0.001), which indicated a very good degree of adaptation and was suitable for EFA. Second, an exploratory factor analysis was conducted on the KDL using principal axis factor extraction and maximum variance orthogonal rotation, which could explain 87.80% of the total variance, as the principle that the principal component eigenvalues were not less than 1 or the cumulative contribution of the principal component variance was not less than 85% [47]. This indicates that the structural validity of the kindergarten directors’ leadership questionnaire is good. Third, the factor loadings of the items are between 0.58–0.91, with all greater than 0.45 (see

Table 2. Exploratory factor analysis results of KDL (N = 1958).

Item	Factor Loading			Extraction
	1 (4)	2 (3)	3 (3)
1	0.84			0.87
2	0.78			0.89
3	0.72			0.85
4	0.60			0.82
5			0.58	0.85
6			0.78	0.91
7			0.74	0.91
11		0.84		0.90
12		0.79		0.88
13		0.83		0.91
Total Explained Variance				87.80%

). In addition, the common factor of the factor structure is also relatively stable, so there is no need to delete any items.

A confirmatory factor analysis was conducted using AMOS 24.0 in kindergarten directors’ leadership to determine the three-factor structure proposed by the exploratory factor analysis (Figure 2). Depending on the suggested value of each fitted indicator, the GFI, NFI, RFI, IFI, TLI, and CFI indicators can have values ranging between 0 and 1. The closer the value is to 1, the better the model fit. Typically, the model fit is good when these indicators are greater than 0.90 [48]. When SRMR is less than 0.05, it indicates a good model fit [49]. An RMSEA less than 0.05 indicates a good model fit, and an RMSEA less than or equal to 0.1 indicates an acceptable model fit [50]. An χ²/df of less than 3 indicates a good model fit, and an χ²/df less than or equal to 5 indicates an acceptable model fit.

In this study, the χ²/df for the directors’ leadership was 16.81, well above the critical value of 5. However, Fan, Wen, and Bollen argued [51,52,53] that the development of many fit indexes was motivated to overcome the shortcomings of the χ² statistic, especially its sensitivity to sample size, which cannot be ignored. This means that fit indexes should be insensitive to or independent of sample size. Therefore, the χ² statistic was not used as the only basis for the goodness of fit of the model in this study. The other fit indexes in this study are as follows (see

Table 3. Confirmatory factor analysis results.

Indicator	GFI	NFI	RFI	IFI	TLI	CFI	RMSEA	χ2/df	SRMR
Standard 1 (Excellent)	≥0.9	≥0.9	≥0.9	≥0.9	≥0.9	≥0.9	≤0.05	≤3	≤0.05
Standard (Acceptable)	≥0.8	≥0.8	≥0.8	≥0.8	≥0.8	≥0.8	≤0.1	≤5	≤0.1
KDL	0.95	0.98	0.97	0.98	0.97	0.98	0.09	16.81	0.02
EOS	0.98	0.99	0.99	0.99	0.99	0.99	0.08	12.67	0.01
TWB	0.92	0.96	0.95	0.96	0.96	0.96	0.07	11.51	0.03
KDL-EOS-TWB	0.99	0.99	0.99	0.99	0.99	0.99	0.05	5.28	0.02

Note. KDL = kindergarten directors’ leadership; EOS = enabling organizational structure; and TWB = early childhood teachers’ well-being.

): GFI, NFI, RFI, IFI, TLI, and CFI, which were 0.95, 0.98, 0.97, 0.98, 0.97, and 0.98, respectively, all greater than 0.90. The SRMR was 0.02, and the RMSEA was 0.09, all within the recommended values for each fit index, indicating a good model fit.

3.2.2. Enabling Organizational Structure Scale

Using the measurement of school bureaucratic structures proposed by Hoy and Sweetland [54], and in conjunction with this study, the questionnaire consists of two items, enabling bureaucracy and hierarchical bureaucracy. A 5-point Likert scale is used, ranging from “not at all” to “fully” on a scale of 1 to 5, with higher scores indicating better organization. There are six questions in total, with 1–3 pertaining to enabling bureaucracy and 4–6 to hierarchical bureaucracy. The scale has good reliability in this study, with an internal consistency coefficient of 0.97 and reliability of 0.94 and 0.90 for each dimension of the enabling bureaucracy and hierarchical bureaucracy, respectively. Among them, in the dimension of enabling formalization, “the rules and regulations of kindergarten can support real communication between teachers and administrators”; in the dimension of hierarchical bureaucracy, “the management structure of the kindergarten enables teachers to do their job well”.

3.2.3. Teachers’ Well-Being Scale

This study used the Employee Well-Being Scale [55] developed by Zheng et al. (2015) based on Chinese data, with a total of three dimensions, namely, life well-being (LWB), workplace well-being (WWB), and psychological well-being (PWB). The TWB Questionnaire in this study uses a five-point scale by teachers’ reports, where “1” means not at all, and “5” means very much, with higher scores indicating higher levels of happiness. The happiness questionnaire in this study uses a five-point scale, where “1” means not at all, and “5” means very much, with higher scores indicating higher levels of well-being. The reliability of the three dimensions in the researcher’s practical application were 0.94 (WWB), 0.93 (LWB), and 0.95 (PWB), and in this study, the reliability of the happiness questionnaire for early childhood teachers was 0.97. Among them, in the dimension of workplace well-being, is “I am basically satisfied with my specific job responsibilities”; in the dimension of life well-being, “I am satisfied with my life”; and in the dimension of psychological well-being, “as time goes by, I feel that I have grown a lot”.

3.3. Data Analysis

3.3.1. Item Analysis

There were significant differences (p < 0.001) between the high- and low-score groups for the 18 questions on the TEB, and the correlation coefficients between the total score and other items ranged from 0.45 to 0.86 (p < 0.001), indicating good discrimination and homogeneity of the questionnaire in measuring TWBs.

The six questions on EOS were significantly different between the high- and low-score groups (p < 0.001), and the correlation coefficients between the total score and other items ranged from 0.62 to 0.95 (p < 0.001), indicating that the questionnaire has good discrimination and homogeneity in measuring the enabling organizational structure.

There were significant differences between the high- and low-score groups for the 10 questions on KDL (p < 0.001), and the correlation coefficients between the total score and other items ranged from 0.62 to 0.90 (p < 0.001), indicating that the questionnaire has good discrimination and homogeneity in measuring KDL.

3.3.2. Reliability Analysis

After analyzing the reliability of the KDL, EOS, and TWB scales (

Table 4. Reliability test results (N = 1958).

Variable	Cronbach α	Number of Items	Split-Half Reliability	Variable	Cronbach α	Number of Items	Split-Half Reliability
TP	0.93	4	0.92	WWB	0.94	6	0.93
IL	0.94	3	0.95	LWB	0.93	6	0.93
TL	0.94	3	0.95	PWB	0.95	6	0.94
KDL	0.97	13	0.92	TWB	0.97	18	0.93
EB	0.94	3	0.92
HB	0.90	3	0.84
EOS	0.96	6	0.95

Note. TP = teacher participation; IL = instructional leadership; TL = targeted leadership; KDL = kindergarten directors’ leadership; EB = enabling bureaucracy; HB = hierarchical bureaucracy. HB = hierarchical bureaucracy; EOS = enabling organizational structure; TWB = preschool teachers’ well-being; PWB = psychological well-being; WWB = workplace well-being; and LWB= life well-being.

), the Cronbach’s alpha coefficient for each dimension in the three scales and the overall Cronbach’s alpha coefficient for each scale were basically greater than 0.90, indicating that the questionnaires in this study had good internal consistency [56]. The split-half reliability coefficients of KDL range from 0.92 to 0.95. The split-half reliability coefficients of EOS range from 0.84 to 0.95. The split-half reliability coefficients of TWBs range from 0.93 to 0.94 [57]. Therefore, the three scales have good reliability.

3.3.3. Confirmatory Factor Analysis

Validation factor analysis was conducted on the sample with the help of statistical software AMOS 24.0. The final EOS totaled 6 questions, and the model fitting results showed (Table 3) that all indicators were in a good or acceptable range, except χ²/df = 12.67, p < 0.001. The final scale of the TWB had a total of 18 questions, and the model fitting results show that all indicators were in a good or acceptable range, except χ²/df = 11.51, p < 0.001.

3.3.4. Common Method Biases

Having teachers fill out three scales in this study may have resulted in a perceived systematic error, that is, common method bias [58]. Therefore, to avoid potential errors from interfering with the study findings, this study used single-factor confirmatory factor analysis to test all self-assessment items for common method bias, and the specific fit indexes were χ²/df = 5.28, GFI = 0.99, RFI = 0.99, IFI = 0.99, TLI = 0.99, CFI = 0.99, RMSEA = 0.05, and SRMR= 0.02, which shows that the model fit is good. Therefore, there is no serious common method bias problem [59].

4. Results

4.1. Descriptive Analysis

The mean value of the overall EOS and its dimensions for the kindergartens was 4.03, and the mean value of the overall TWB and its dimensions ranged from 3.96 to 4.21. The mean values of KDL and its dimensions ranged from 4.47 to 4.58, all of which were higher than the theoretical median value of 3.5, indicating that the overall levels of EOS, TWB, and KDL in both county and rural kindergartens were moderate to high (

Table 5. Item means, standard deviations (N = 1958).

Variable	Dimension	Mean	SD	Variable	Dimension	Mean	SD
TWB	WWB	4.21	0.80	KDL	TL	4.48	1.27
	LWB	3.96	0.88		IL	4.58	1.23
	PWB	4.17	0.77		TP	4.47	1.37
	Total	4.12	0.76		Total	4.51	1.21
EOS	EB	4.03	0.93
	HB	4.03	0.91
	Total	4.03	0.90

).

4.2. Correlation Analysis among KDL, EOS and TWB

There was a significant positive correlation between KDL, TWB, and EOS (

Table 6. Correlation analysis among the three variables.

Variables	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
1.TWB	-
2.WWB	0.93 **	-
3.LWB	0.95 **	0.81 **	-
4.WB	0.93 **	0.80 **	0.83 **	-
5.EOS	0.77 **	0.73 **	0.72 **	0.71 **	-
6.EB	0.76 **	0.72 **	0.71 **	0.70 **	0.98 **	-
7.HB	0.74 **	0.70 **	0.70 **	0.69 **	0.97 **	0.90 **	-
8.KDL	0.53 **	0.50 **	0.51 **	0.49 **	0.65 **	0.63 **	0.63 **	-
9.TL	0.50 **	0.47 **	0.48 **	0.46 **	0.61 **	0.59 **	0.59 **	0.95 **	-
10.IL	0.51 **	0.47 **	0.48 **	0.47 **	0.61 **	0.59 **	0.60 **	0.95 **	0.87 **	-
11.TP	0.49 **	0.46 **	0.48 **	0.44 **	0.60 **	0.59 **	0.58 **	0.91 **	0.76 **	0.82 **

Note: ** p < 0.01.

). A linear correlation analysis revealed a significant positive correlation between KDL and TWB (γ = 0.53). KDL was significantly and positively correlated with EOS (γ = 0.65). EOS was significantly and positively associated with early childhood TWB (γ = 0.77).

4.3. Regression Analysis of KDL, EOB and TWB

4.3.1. KDL Significantly and Positively Predicts EOS

With the premise that KDL is significantly and positively related to EOS, the explanation and prediction of KDL on EOS can be further tested. In this study, linear regression analysis was conducted using the scores of the dimensions of KDL and overall KDL (i.e., goal leadership, instructional leadership, and teacher engagement) as independent variables and EOS as the dependent variable using forced input (

Table 7. Results of the linear regression analysis.

Dependent Variable	Independent Variable	B	SE	Adjusted R2	∆R2	β	Sig
TWB	KDL	0.34	0.01	0.29	0.29	0.53	0.000
TWB	TL	0.13	0.02	0.28	0.29	0.21	0.000
	IL	0.09	0.03			0.15	0.000
	TP	0.12	0.02			0.21	0.000
TWB	EOS	0.66	0.01	0.59	0.59	0.77	0.000
TWB	EB	0.39	0.03	0.60	0.60	0.48	0.000
	HB	0.26	0.03			0.31	0.000
EOS	KDL	0.48	0.01	0.42	0.42	0.65	0.000
EOS	TL	0.17	0.03	0.42	0.42	0.24	0.000
	IL	0.14	0.03			0.19	0.000
	TP	0.17	0.02			0.27	0.000
KDL	EOS	0.99	0.10	0.42	0.42	0.65	0.000
KDL	EB	0.42	0.05	0.42	0.42	0.32	0.000
	HB	0.46	0.05			0.34	0.000

). In the regression model of KDL and EOS, the adjusted value of R² was 0.42, indicating that the predictive power of KDL on EOS reached 42%, and hypothesis H1 was validated. The standardized regression coefficient β values and significance level Sig values show that KDL has an extremely significant positive predictive effect on EOS, and for every 1-unit increase in KDL, EOS increases by 0.65 units.

4.3.2. KDL Significantly and Positively Predicted TWB

With the premise that KDL is significantly and positively related to TWB, the explanation and prediction of KDL on TWB can be further tested. Applying the above approach to the analysis (Table 7), it was found that the predictive power of KDL on TWB reached 29%, and hypothesis H2 held. The standardized regression coefficient β values and significance level Sig values show that KDL has an extremely significant positive predictive effect on TWB, and for every 1-unit increase in KDL, TWB increases by 0.53 units.

4.3.3. EOS Significantly and Positively Predicts KDL

With the premise that EOS is significantly and positively related to KDL, the explanation and prediction of KDL by EOS can be further tested. Applying the above approach to the analysis (Table 7), the predictive power of EOS on the KDL was found to be 42%, and hypothesis H3 holds. The standardized regression coefficient β values and significance level Sig values show that EOS has an extremely significant positive predictive effect on KDL, and for every 1-unit increase in EOS, KDL increases by 0.65 units.

4.3.4. EOS Significantly and Positively Predicted TWB

With the premise that EOS is significantly and positively related to TWB, the explanation and prediction of TWB by EOS can be further tested. Applying the above approach to the analysis (Table 7), the predictive power of EOS and TWB was found to be 59%, and hypothesis H4 held. The β and Sig values indicated that enabling bureaucracy and hierarchical bureaucracy significantly and positively predict TWB. For each additional unit of enabling bureaucracy, TWB increased by 0.48 units; each 1-unit increase in hierarchical bureaucracy was associated with a 0.31-unit increase in TWBs.

4.4. Intermediary Analysis

A good analytical intermediary model fits after correction (see Figure 3). A mediating role model was constructed with the help of Amos 24.0. According to the procedure, a sample size of 5000 and a confidence interval of 95% were set, and the calculation was performed. Since the cardinality value is easily affected by the sample size, the cardinality value ratio to the degree of freedom is not used as the only basis for judging the model, as it needs to be combined with other indicators [46]. Specific fitness indicators are shown in Table 3. The model fit is found to be good.

4.4.1. A Test of EOS as a Mediator of KDL and TWB

First, the estimated value of the total effect between KDL and TWB is 0.34 (

Table 8. An examination of the mediating effects of KDL, EOS, and TEB.

		Point Estimate	Product of Coefficient		Bootstrapping
					Bias-Corrected		Percentile
					95% CI		95% CI
			SE	Z	Lower	Upper	Lower	Upper
KDL-TWB	Total	0.34	0.02	21.25	0.31	0.37	0.31	0.37
	Indirect	0.33	0.02	17.42	0.30	0.37	0.30	0.37
	Direct	0.01	0.02	0.47	−0.03	0.04	−0.03	0.04
EOS-TWB	Total	0.68	0.02	42.38	0.64	0.72	0.64	0.72
	Indirect	0.01	0.03	0.29	−0.02	0.04	−0.02	0.04
	Direct	0.67	0.02	33.50	0.61	0.73	0.62	0.73

), with a z value of 21.25, which is significantly greater than 1.96 at the bias-corrected 95% confidence interval and at the percentile 95% confidence interval (0.31, 0.37), both of which do not contain 0, indicating that the total effect of KDL and TWB is significant.

Second, the estimated indirect effect of EOS in the relationship between KDL and TWB was 0.33, with a z value of 17.42, which was significantly greater than 1.96 at both the bias-corrected 95% confidence interval and the percentile 95% confidence interval (0.30 and 0.37), neither of which contained 0, indicating that the indirect effect of EOS in the relationship between KDL and TWB was significant.

Finally, after controlling for the effect of the mediating variable level of EOS, the estimated direct effect of KDL on TBW was 0.008 at the bias-corrected 95% confidence interval and at the percentile 95% confidence interval (−0.03 and 0.04), both containing 0, indicating that EOS fully mediated the relationship between KDL and TWB. The indirect effect was 97.35% of the total effect, i.e., KDL indirectly influenced TWBs through the EOS. In summary, EOS mediates the relationship between KDL and TWB. Hypothesis H5 holds.

4.4.2. A Mediated Test of KDL in EOS and TWB

First, the estimated value of the total effect of EOS and TWB is 0.68 (Table 8), with a z value of 42.38, which is significantly greater than 1.96 at both the bias-corrected 95% confidence interval and the percentile 95% confidence interval of (0.64, 0.72). Neither contains 0, indicating that the total effect of EOS and TWB was significant. Second, the indirect effect of KDL on the relationship between EOS and TWB was estimated to be 0.01, with a z value of 0.29, which is less than 1.96 at the bias-corrected 95% confidence interval and at the percentile 95% confidence interval of (−0.02 and 0.04), both containing 0, indicating that the indirect effect of KDL on the relationship between EOS and TWB is significant. An indirect effect of KDL on TWB was not found. In summary, KDL does not mediate the relationship between EOS and TWB. Hypothesis H6 does not hold.

5. Discussion

This study examines the relationship between facilitative organizational structure, principal leadership, and preschool teacher well-being. Specifically, we examine the relationship between principal leadership and affirmative organizational structures, the relationship between principal leadership and early childhood teacher well-being, and the mediating effect of facilitative organizational structures on principal leadership and early childhood teacher well-being.

5.1. There Is a Two-Way Correlation between the Leadership and Promotion of the Principal’s Leadership and Promotion Organizational Structure

Principal leadership influences organizational structure. Our findings show that principals’ leadership is correlated with facilitative organizational structures. According to the responsibilities of the principal, the principal has the responsibility of influencing the organizational structure of the kindergarten [21], and under certain conditions, the principal has a greater influence on the organizational structure of the kindergarten [23] and may even be a member of the kindergarten promotion organizational structure. Hartnell et al. argue [21] that leadership has a certain impact on organizations, and this influence can be seen as a change in organizational structure. In the case of small organizational structures, the positive effect of service-oriented leadership on performance is more pronounced [22]. From the reality of the situation, to work better, leaders generally intervene in organizational management and play an important role in the organizational structure. That is, organizational functions are inseparable from the role of superior leadership [23].

A facilitative organizational structure influences principals’ leadership. Since the scope of the principal’s work and the organizational purpose of the kindergarten are similar, they all pay attention to the professional growth of teachers and the improvement of the enthusiasm of preschool teachers. The function of a facilitative organization is conducive to the leadership of the principal [27]. Organizational structure affects the performance of leadership behavior, that is, the level of leadership [27]. The reform of the organizational structure is also aimed at leadership development, that is, to mobilize the enthusiasm of individual work. In particular, the emergence of individual leadership has promoted changes in organizational structure to a certain extent. Judge et al. believe that [28] with the trend of flattening enterprise management, organizational boundaries are becoming increasingly blurred, and the optimization of enterprise performance requires the informal leadership of team members and whether or to what extent individuals are regarded as leaders, which is also shared by Chinese scholars [29].

Therefore, the relationship between principal leadership and facilitative organizational structure is mutually reinforcing, which is consistent with existing conclusions [33].

5.2. Principals’ Leadership Has a Positive Predictive Effect on the Happiness of Preschool Teachers

This study shows that principal leadership is associated with preschool teacher well-being and that principal leadership has a positive predictive effect on preschool teachers’ happiness, but this role is mainly accomplished through a facilitative organizational structure. Park et al.found [24] that leadership has a positive predictive effect on employee happiness. Wang Heng et al.surveyed 843 primary and secondary school teachers [25] and found that principal leadership can positively affect teachers’ happiness. Similarly, some researchers found [26] that there is a certain relationship between principal leadership and teacher happiness, and teachers have the highest levels of happiness in schools where a principal self-rated themself and matched this rating.

5.3. Facilitating Organizational Structure Plays a Mediating Role in the Leadership of Principals and the Well-Being of Preschool Teachers

The findings of this study suggest that fostering organizational structures mediates the leadership of principals and the well-being of early childhood teachers. This study is almost consistent with existing research that organizational support mediates leadership and employee well-being [39]. Principals have a responsibility to influence the organizational structure of the kindergarten [21], and under certain conditions, principals have a greater influence on the organizational structure of the kindergarten [23]. Principals may become members of the kindergarten promotion organizational structure. Realistically, leaders generally intervene in organizational management and play an important role in the organizational structure. That is, organizational functions are inseparable from the role of superior leadership [23]. Organizational support has relieved work pressure [35], reduced burnout [36], and made it easier to achieve teachers’ professional achievements, that is, to achieve professional happiness [38]. In particular, facilitative organizations that bring a sense of fairness can reduce burnout and motivate individuals to work [39]. Organizational structure can also improve personal happiness in both work and life through various means [40]. Therefore, principal leadership promotes teacher well-being in young children through a facilitative organizational structure.

6. Conclusions, Recommendation, and Limitations

To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to examine the relationships between EOSs, KDLs, and TWBs. That is, there is a two-way influence relationship between facilitative organizational structure and kindergarten principal leadership. There was a positive correlation between principal leadership and preschool teacher happiness. Facilitating organizational structures plays a mediating role in the impact of principals’ leadership on the well-being of early childhood teachers. The results of this study can provide guidance for the sustainable development of kindergartens in rural China.

Conclusion 1: There is a bidirectional relationship between EOS and KDL. EOS positively predicts KDL, and KDL also positively predicts EOS.

Conclusion 2: EOS mediates the effect of KDL on TWBs, which is dominant.

Recommendation: To maintain moderate levels of TWB and KDL, kindergarten EOSs can lead to sustainable improvements and sustainable kindergarten development. Therefore, it is important to pay attention to the construction of an EOS based on TWBs and KDLs as a way to bring about sustainable growth in KDLs and TWBs.

Limitation: The sample was selected entirely online at random and may not be representative. This affects the value of this study to some extent.