How Does Change Fatigue Influence Teaching Innovation Behaviour: A Moderated Mediation Model of Job Crafting and Relational Leadership
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.57125/FED.2026.06.14Keywords:
Change fatigue, Job crafting, Teaching innovation behaviour, Relational leadership.Abstract
In the era of ongoing educational reform and rapid digital transformation, teachers are increasingly required to respond to frequent organisational and instructional changes. Under such conditions, teachers may experience change fatigue, which may in turn influence their engagement in teaching innovation. However, whether and how this mechanism operates remains insufficiently explored. This study examines the relationship between change fatigue and teaching innovation behaviour, with job crafting proposed as a mediating mechanism and relational leadership as a moderating condition on the first-stage path from change fatigue to job crafting. A cross-sectional survey design was conducted, drawing on data from 4,078 teachers in Shanghai who participated in the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS 2024). The data were analysed using SPSS 27.0 through descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and moderated mediation analysis with the Bootstrap method. In line with the TALIS-based operationalisation, teaching innovation behaviour is understood as innovation-related teaching practices; job crafting as teachers’ adaptive and differentiated adjustments of instructional work; and relational leadership as teachers’ perceptions of principal leadership involving participation, collaboration, trust, and professional support. The results indicate that change fatigue is positively and significantly associated with teaching innovation behaviour in the Chinese context. Job crafting partially mediates this relationship, whereas relational leadership moderates the association between change fatigue and job crafting. Although the findings are statistically significant, the observed effect sizes are small and should therefore be interpreted cautiously. The study suggests that schools should sustain a manageable level of organisational change, provide support for teachers’ job crafting amid continuous reform, and develop relational leadership practices that help teachers cope with reform-related pressures, thereby facilitating adaptive and sustainable teaching innovation.
References
Alaimo, G., & Kelly, C. (2025). Exploring the implementation of relational practice in a primary school to support school attendance. Frontiers in Education, 10, Article 1602057. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2025.1602057
Al-Mahdy, Y. F. H., Hallinger, P., Omara, E., & Emam, M. (2024). Exploring how power distance influences principal instructional leadership effects on teacher agency and classroom instruction in Oman: A moderated-mediation analysis. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 52(4), 878-900. https://doi.org/10.1177/17411432221113912
Alaimo, G., & Kelly, C. (2025). Exploring the implementation of relational practice in a primary school to support school attendance. Frontiers in Education, 10, Article 1602057. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2025.1602057
Ao, N., Zhang, S. T., Tian, G. X., Zhu, X. S., & Kang, X. W. (2023). Exploring teacher wellbeing in educational reforms: a Chinese perspective. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, Article 1265536. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1265536
Arif, M., Ismail, A., li, Y. J., & Yang, W. (2025). Relational and communicative leadership practices in professional learning: a case study of middle leaders in rural Pakistani high schools. Professional Development in Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2025.2593899
Baer, M., & Oldham, G. R. (2006). The curvilinear relation between experienced creative time pressure and creativity: Moderating effects of openness to experience and support for creativity. Journal of Applied Psychology, 91(4), 963-970. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.91.4.963
Bakker, A. B., & de Vries, J. D. (2021). Job Demands-Resources theory and self-regulation: new explanations and remedies for job burnout. Anxiety Stress and Coping, 34(1), 1-21. https://doi.org/10.1080/10615806.2020.1797695
Bakker, A. B., & Demerouti, E. (2017). Job Demands-Resources Theory: Taking Stock and Looking Forward. Journal of occupational health psychology, 22(3), 273-285. https://doi.org/10.1037/ocp0000056
Bano, S., Zu, L. J., & Imran, M. (2025). Relationship Between Ethical Leadership and Job Performance in Non-Profit Organizations of Pakistan: Mediating Role of Psychological Safety. Public Integrity, 27(5), 511-532. https://doi.org/10.1080/10999922.2024.2391129
Bao, Y. (2024). A dual mediation model of the association between principal inclusive leadership and teacher innovative behavior. Scientific Reports, 14(1), Article 12320. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-63332-0
Bao, Y. G. (2025). The influence of resonant leadership on teachers' innovative behavior: The mediating mechanism of information processing models. Plos One, 20(4), Article e0321763. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0321763
Beaulieu, L., Seneviratne, C., & Nowell, L. (2023). Change fatigue in nursing: An integrative review. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 79(2), 454-470. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.15546
Berg, J. M., Wrzesniewski, A., & Dutton, J. E. (2010). Perceiving and responding to challenges in job crafting at different ranks: when proactivity requires adaptivity. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 31(2-3), 158-186. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.645
Bernerth, J. B., Walker, H. J., & Harris, S. G. (2011). Change fatigue: Development and initial validation of a new measure. Work and Stress, 25(4), 321-337. https://doi.org/10.1080/02678373.2011.634280
Camilleri, J., Cope, V., & Murray, M. (2019). Change fatigue: The frontline nursing experience of large-scale organisational change and the influence of teamwork. Journal of Nursing Management, 27(3), 655-660. https://doi.org/10.1111/jonm.12725
Campbell, P., MacGregor, S., Sum, N., Friesen, S., Sawalhi, R., Conway, J., Andrews, D., Braunberger, D., & Kam, Y. C. (2026). Conceptualising innovation in education: a scoping review of implications for school leadership and change. School Leadership & Management, 46(1), 6-30. https://doi.org/10.1080/13632434.2025.2602874
Cao, C. X., Chen, B. B., Yang, S. P., Zheng, X., Ye, Y., & Yue, X. Y. (2022). Exploring the Impact of Individual and Social Antecedents on Teachers' Teaching Innovation: Perspective of Goal-Oriented Behavior and Social Identity. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, Article 924052. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.924052
Cao, J., Huang, Y. T., Shao, X. J., & Zhong, Y. N. (2025). Driving Innovation: Exploring the Effect of Distributed Leadership on Collective Teacher Innovativeness in Chinese Schools. Asia-Pacific Education Researcher, 34(1), 433-446. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40299-024-00866-x
Cao, S. M., Lin, J. X., Liang, Y. Q., & Qin, Y. (2024). A Concept Analysis of Change Fatigue Among Nurses Based on Walker and Avant's Method. Journal of Nursing Management, 2024, Article 8413242. https://doi.org/10.1155/jonm/8413242
Cavanaugh, M. A., Boswell, W. R., Roehling, M. V., & Boudreau, J. W. (2000). An empirical examination of self-reported work stress among US managers. Journal of Applied Psychology, 85(1), 65-74. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.85.1.65
Chaaban, Y., Sawalhi, R., & Lundberg, A. (2025). Middle leaders' sensemaking of their leadership practices in response to educational disruption: A Q-methodology study. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 53(1), 65-82. https://doi.org/10.1177/17411432231152357
Chaoping, W., Junxi, C., Weiwei, Y., & Xiaoli, Y. (2025). The Mediating Effect of Organisational Support Between Change Fatigue and Adaptive Performance Among ICU Nurses: A Cross-Sectional Study. Journal of Advanced Nursing. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.70376
Chen, Z., & Murray, N. (2025). Initial teacher education in transition: responding to English language curriculum reform in China. Journal of Education for Teaching, 51(4), 666-681. https://doi.org/10.1080/02607476.2025.2525826
Cheng, H., Fan, Y. Q., & Lau, H. (2023). An integrative review on job burnout among teachers in China: Implications for Human Resource Management. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 34(3), 529-561. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2022.2078991
Cohen, M. I., Skousen, J. D., Weiler, S. C., & Boren, D. (2025). The importance of relationships in effectively leading schools: Using corpus linguistic analysis to identify the essential work of educational leadership from the perspective of recently retired school administrators. Educational Management Administration & Leadership. https://doi.org/10.1177/17411432251370918
Cunliffe, A. L., & Eriksen, M. (2011). Relational leadership. Human Relations, 64(11), 1425-1449. https://doi.org/10.1177/0018726711418388
de Vries, M. S. E., & de Vries, M. S. (2023). Repetitive reorganizations, uncertainty and change fatigue. Public Money & Management, 43(2), 126-135. https://doi.org/10.1080/09540962.2021.1905258
Dilekçi, Ü., Kaya, A., & Çiçek, L. L. (2025). Occupational stress, burnout, and change fatigue as predictors of quiet quitting among teachers. Acta Psychologica, 254, Article 104812. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2025.104812
Fahy, A., McCartney, S., Fu, N., & Roche, J. (2024). Investigating the indirect impact of transformational leadership on performance and work alienation: evidence from school principals navigating COVID-19. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 45(5), 877-898. https://doi.org/10.1108/lodj-04-2022-0199
Gu, H. B., Wang, S. Y., Chen, X. F., & Wang, Q. (2024). Exploring the resilience development of secondary school English teacher-researchers: a Chinese case study. Humanities & Social Sciences Communications, 11(1), Article 806. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-03346-1
Gu, H. B., Xu, Y. N., & Wang, Q. (2026). Chinese EFL Teachers' Emotion Regulation in Blended Teaching: A Contextual Perspective. Asia-Pacific Education Researcher, 35(1), 197-206. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40299-025-00981-3
Halbesleben, J. R. B., Neveu, J. P., Paustian-Underdahl, S. C., & Westman, M. (2014). Getting to the "COR": Understanding the Role of Resources in Conservation of Resources Theory. Journal of Management, 40(5), 1334-1364. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206314527130
Hallinger, P. (2020). Science mapping the knowledge base on educational leadership and management from the emerging regions of Asia, Africa and Latin America, 1965-2018. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 48(2), 209-230. https://doi.org/10.1177/1741143218822772
Hansen, A. B. (2025). Modelling the nexus between relational leadership, wellbeing and basic school teachers' professional commitment in Ghana: a sequential mediation model. Discover Psychology, 5(1), Article 189. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44202-025-00519-0
Hobfoll, S. E. (1989). CONSERVATION OF RESOURCES - A NEW ATTEMPT AT CONCEPTUALIZING STRESS. American Psychologist, 44(3), 513-524. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066x.44.3.513
Hobfoll, S. E. (2001). The influence of culture, community, and the nested-self in the stress process: Advancing Conservation of Resources theory. Applied Psychology-an International Review-Psychologie Appliquee-Revue Internationale, 50(3), 337-370. https://doi.org/10.1111/1464-0597.00062
Hobfoll, S. E. (2002). Social and psychological resources and adaptation. Review of General Psychology, 6(4), 307-324. https://doi.org/10.1037//1089-2680.6.4.307
Javed, M. A. F., Reba, A., & Saleem, A. (2026). Reimagining school leadership: A qualitative study on how distributed leadership models influence innovation culture in semi-government schools in Pakistan. British Educational Research Journal, 52(2), 930-951. https://doi.org/10.1002/berj.70016
Lager, K. (2025). Teacher leadership in a high-quality practice. Frontiers in Education, 10, Article 1537056. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2025.1537056
Laufer, M., Deacon, B., Mende, M. A., & Schäfer, L. O. (2025). Leading with Trust: How University Leaders can Foster Innovation with Educational Technology through Organizational Trust. Innovative Higher Education, 50(1), 303-327. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10755-024-09733-5
Li, C. Z., Law, E. H. F., Huang, Y. Y., & Ding, K. (2025). Balancing Tradition, Reform, and Constraints: A Study of Principal Leadership Practices in Chinese Primary Schools. Education Sciences, 15(8), Article 988. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15080988
Li, K., & Zhu, G. Q. (2022). Promoting teaching innovation of Chinese public-school teachers by team temporal leadership: The mediation of job autonomy and the moderation of work stress. Plos One, 17(7), Article e0271195. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0271195
Linnenborn, V., & Borchert, M. (2025). Lead Yourself through Change: How Self-Leadership Buffers the Impact of Change Fatigue on Employee Outcomes. Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 61(3), 499-536. https://doi.org/10.1177/00218863241297704
Liou, Y. H., Brouwer, J., Daly, A. J., & Lee, Y. S. (2025). Relational Rhythms: Investigating Longitudinal Advice Networks of a Leadership Team During Reform. AERA open, 11, Article 23328584251316469. https://doi.org/10.1177/23328584251316469
Liu, W. H., Xu, R. L., & Li, S. P. (2024). Exploring the digital psychology of environmental sustainability: the mediating influence of technological innovation in advanced physical education development in China". BMC psychology, 12(1), Article 176. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-024-01673-1
Ma, L. C., Yao, H., & Sun, M. Y. (2024). Distributed leadership mirrors teacher professionalism via collaborative learning and relational trust: evidence from China. Journal of Professional Capital and Community, 9(4), 340-362. https://doi.org/10.1108/jpcc-11-2023-0076
Ma, X., Li, Y., Ding, Q. P., Zhang, Y. P., Bai, Z. Q., Su, Y. G., Shen, J. C., Huang, J. J., & Yang, S. Y. (2025). Latent profile analysis of change fatigue and its relationship with work withdrawal behavior in clinical nurses: a multicenter study. Frontiers in Public Health, 13, Article 1694873. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1694873
Ma, X. W., & Zhang, P. (2025). How Distributed Leadership Shapes Chinese Teachers' Teaching Innovation Behavior: Mediating Roles of Teacher Collaboration and Teachers' Social-Emotional Learning Beliefs. Asia-Pacific Education Researcher, 34(6), 1977-1989. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40299-025-01006-9
McMillan, K., & Perron, A. (2020). Change fatigue in nurses: A qualitative study. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 76(10), 2627-2636. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.14454
Natland, S., Wathne, K., & Hansen, R. (2025). The meaning of social work leadership. A local development process to enhance social services and reduce school dropout. Social Work Education, 44(6), 1398-1414. https://doi.org/10.1080/02615479.2024.2397059
Oreg, S., Bartunek, J. M., Lee, G., & Do, B. (2018). AN AFFECT-BASED MODEL OF RECIPIENTS' RESPONSES TO ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE EVENTS. Academy of Management Review, 43(1), 65-86. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.2014.0335
Ouedraogo, N., & Ouakouak, M. L. (2021). Antecedents and outcome of employee change fatigue and change cynicism. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 34(1), 158-179. https://doi.org/10.1108/jocm-05-2019-0141
Özkul, R., & Yildizbas, Y. V. (2025). The relationship between school principals' leadership styles, organisational climate and organisational depression. South African Journal of Education, 45(2), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.15700/saje.v45n2a2428
Parker, S. K., & Grote, G. (2022). Automation, Algorithms, and Beyond: Why Work Design Matters More Than Ever in a Digital World. Applied Psychology-an International Review-Psychologie Appliquee-Revue Internationale, 71(4), 1171-1204. https://doi.org/10.1111/apps.12241
Petrou, P., Demerouti, E., & Schaufeli, W. B. (2018). Crafting the Change: The Role of Employee Job Crafting Behaviors for Successful Organizational Change. Journal of Management, 44(5), 1766-1792. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206315624961
Pinheiro, G., Alves, J. M., & Serra, L. (2025). School leadership and organization in times of complexity: paths to a collaborative and regenerative school. Frontiers in Education, 10, Article 1657742. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2025.1657742
Raelin, J. A. (2016). Imagine there are no leaders: Reframing leadership as collaborative agency. Leadership, 12(2), 131-158. https://doi.org/10.1177/1742715014558076
Ren, J., Mo, Y. J., Zhang, Y. L., & Hou, Y. A. (2025). Teacher professional learning communities and children's school readiness in China: the moderating role of supportive conditions and cooperative atmosphere. Frontiers in Education, 9, Article 1400960. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2024.1400960
Richardson, J. W., & Khawaja, S. (2025). Meta-synthesis of school leadership competencies to support learner-centered, personalized education. Frontiers in Education, 10, Article 1537055. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2025.1537055
Saltmarsh, J. E. (2026). Strengthening Instructional Leadership: A Study of School Leaders' Experiences in a Community of Practice. Educational Forum, 90(2), 136-152. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131725.2025.2591226
Sarigül, S. S., & Ugurluoglu, Ö. (2023). Examination of the Relationships Between Change Fatigue and Perceived Organizational Culture, Burnout, Turnover Intention, and Organizational Commitment in Nurses. Research and Theory for Nursing Practice, 37(3), 311-332. https://doi.org/10.1891/rtnp-2023-0018
Sofwan, M., Habibi, A., Attar, R. W., Alqahtani, T. M., Alahmari, S. A., & Alhazmi, A. H. (2024). Factors Affecting Teachers' Behavior of Innovative Teaching with Technology: Structural Equation Modelling. Sustainability, 16(19), Article 8496. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16198496
Sun, Q., & Yuan, Q. F. (2025). A Latent Profile Analysis of EFL Teachers' Self-efficacy: Associations With Their Emotional Intelligence and Teaching Innovation Behavior. International Journal of Applied Linguistics, 35(4), 1847-1857. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijal.12685
Tahir, L., Rosli, M. S., Musta'mal, A. H., & Rahman, A. R. A. (2024). Nurturing teachers' creativity: Exploring leadership roles and constraints. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 54, Article 101662. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2024.101662
Teigen, K. H. (1994). YERKES-DODSON - A LAW FOR ALL SEASONS. Theory & Psychology, 4(4), 525-547. https://doi.org/10.1177/0959354394044004
Teng, J., Yang, Z. T., Yu, M., Crowley, C. B., & Jing, X. L. (2024). Chinese primary school teachers' working time allocation after the enactment of the "Double Reduction" policy: A mixed-methods study. Teaching and Teacher Education, 137, Article 104385. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2023.104385
Tims, M., Bakker, A. B., & Derks, D. (2012). Development and validation of the job crafting scale. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 80(1), 173-186. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2011.05.009
Tims, M., Bakker, A. B., & Derks, D. (2013). The Impact of Job Crafting on Job Demands, Job Resources, and Well-Being. Journal of occupational health psychology, 18(2), 230-240. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0032141
Tims, M., Derks, D., & Bakker, A. B. (2016). Job crafting and its relationships with person-job fit and meaningfulness: A three-wave study. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 92, 44-53. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2015.11.007
Uhl-Bien, M. (2006). Relational Leadership Theory: Exploring the social processes of leadership and organizing. Leadership Quarterly, 17(6), 654-676. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2006.10.007
Wang, H. J., Demerouti, E., & Le Blanc, P. (2017). Transformational leadership, adaptability, and job crafting: The moderating role of organizational identification. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 100, 185-195. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2017.03.009
Wang, P., & Chang, D. Y. S. (2025). 'I can survive and thrive in this field': changes in shadow education teachers' professional identity under China's Double Reduction Policy. Humanities & Social Sciences Communications, 12(1), Article 1702. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-025-05966-7
Washington, S. A. (2025). Engaging Indigenous Families and Community Members: Leadership Towards Relationality and Relational Accountability. Educational Administration Quarterly, 61(3), 434-465. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013161x251314884
Wrzesniewski, A., & Dutton, J. E. (2001). Crafting a job: Revisioning employees as active crafters of their work. Academy of Management Review, 26(2), 179-201. https://doi.org/10.2307/259118
Wu, D., Zhou, C., Liang, X. F., Li, Y. T., & Chen, M. (2022). Integrating technology into teaching: Factors influencing rural teachers' innovative behavior. Education and Information Technologies, 27(4), 5325-5348. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-021-10815-6
Xie, J. Y., Wen, Z. L., Ma, Y. M., Cai, B. Z., & Liu, X. Q. (2024). Associations among Challenge Stress, Hindrance Stress, and Employees' Innovative Work Behavior: Mediation Effects of Thriving at Work and Emotional Exhaustion. Journal of Creative Behavior, 58(1), 66-81. https://doi.org/10.1002/jocb.624
Yerkes, R. M., & Dodson, J. D. (1908). The relation of strength of stimulus to rapidity of habit-formation. Journal of Comparative Neurology and Psychology, 18(5), 459-482. https://doi.org/10.1002/cne.920180503
Yilmaz, B., & Tore, E. (2025). The Mediating Role of Self-Efficacy in the Effect of School Principals' Transformational Leadership Characteristics on Teachers' Innovative Work Behavior. Leadership and Policy in Schools. https://doi.org/10.1080/15700763.2025.2462741
Yu, M., Ji, J., Kan, D. Y., Gu, D. D., Yin, X. X., Cai, S. P., Geng, R. H., & Jiang, L. L. (2025). Analysis of the current situation and influencing factors of nurse change fatigue. Frontiers in Public Health, 13, Article 1566534. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1566534
Zhang, F. F., & Parker, S. K. (2019). Reorienting job crafting research: A hierarchical structure of job crafting concepts and integrative review. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 40(2), 126-146. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.2332
Zhao, Y. P., & Huang, L. (2025). Promoting teaching innovation among university teachers through AI literacy from the perspective of planned behavior: the moderating effects of three perceived supports. Frontiers in Psychology, 16, Article 1699174. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1699174
Zheng, X., Huang, H. Z., & Yu, Q. D. (2024). The associations among gratitude, job crafting, teacher-student relationships, and teacher psychological well-being. Frontiers in Psychology, 15, Article 1329782. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1329782
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 authors
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
