Dark Emotions Are Not Always Bad: The Role of Emotions and Professional Training in Predicting Patterns of Engagement and Burnout Among Preschool Teachers

The engagement and burnout profiles of preschool teachers are closely linked to young children’s developmental outcomes. This study investigated engagement and burnout profiles among 529 Chinese preschool teachers in relation to their emotional states, varying experiences, and professional backgrounds. The sample predominantly consisted of early-career educators, with 47.8% aged between 21 and 30 years and 33.1% having 0–5 years of work experience. Using a quantitative cross-sectional design and latent profile analysis (LPA), this study identified four distinct profiles: slightly exhausted (48.58%), moderately burned out (18.53%), engaged (25.90%), and highly burned out (6.99%). Positive emotional states, such as enjoyment, were associated with higher work engagement, while anxiety was associated with a higher probability of belonging to burnout profiles. In contrast, perceived career success and negative emotions like anger did not significantly predict work engagement and burnout profiles. Teachers with extensive teaching experience and pre-service early childhood education (ECE) training were more likely to maintain high work engagement. This study highlights the critical role of emotional states and professional ECE training in promoting preschool teachers’ work engagement and sustainable practice, particularly among early-career teachers.