Teaching is an increasingly demanding profession linked to many intrapersonal, interpersonal, societal, organizational, and administrative obstacles, hurdles, and challenges (Mäkelä & Hirvensalo, 2015). In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the effort and complexity of the teaching profession while requiring teachers to adapt to new job demands (e.g., shift to remote teaching). Specific physiological and psychological job demands and the limited individual preconditions for their fulfillment can cause teachers to experience feelings of insufficiency, relatively high levels of stress, low job satisfaction, and absenteeism (Bogaert et al., 2014). Thus, some teachers leave the teaching profession during their productive years, and older teachers consider, and often choose, early retirement (Dunlop & Macdonald, 2004).

The work ability concept was proposed to identify whether individuals are able to continue to meet the physical and psychosocial requirements of their profession. Work ability is defined as a balance between personal resources and work characteristics or as the individual capacity to complete required work tasks and cope with the job demands successfully (Ilmarinen et al., 2008). For our research, we define work ability as a teacher’s self-perception or evaluation of their capacity to continue working contentedly in the teaching profession, given the characteristics of the job and their personal resources.

The importance of work ability in the context of well-being is that it predicts the quality of life in the physical, psychological, relational, and environmental domains (Milosevic et al., 2011). Among teachers, work ability was a significant and important predictor of current job satisfaction (Ünlü & Filiz, 2019).

In recent years, several studies, meta-analyses, and reviews have been published to identify and better understand a range of work-focused antecedents of work ability as a way to maintain and enhance work ability and, therefore, teachers’ well-being (cf. Cadiz et al., 2019). Considering the JD-R theory (Schaufeli & Taris, 2014), work ability can be influenced negatively by job demands (e.g., job insecurity, pupil misbehavior, time pressure, and work overload). Furthermore, the JD-R model assumes that high job demands and insufficient job resources may cause burnout. Based on the health impairment process (Schaufeli & Taris, 2014), we propose that high job demands and lacking job resources might result in a higher strain (burnout), and burnout can have an unfavorable effect on work ability.

Although these relationships have already been the research subject, the most frequently used diagnostic tool—the Work Ability Index (WAI) has been criticized (cf. Hlaďo et al., 2020). The main reasons are that the WAI overlaps with the construct of burnout and does not reflect the job specifics of the teaching profession.

Considering this research gap, the main goals of our paper are: to (1) develop and validate a new research instrument measuring work ability among teachers conceptually distinct from burnout and (b) examine the relationships between job demands, job resources, burnout, and work ability among lower secondary school teachers.

A longitudinal study will be conducted among teachers at lower secondary schools in the Czech Republic. The number of participants is estimated to be 1000+ teachers. Data collection will take place in spring 2023 (T1) and in autumn 2024 (T2). The data collection will be based on self-administered questionnaires. Data will be collected using both an online survey platform and paper-and-pencil forms. However, the paper will be based on cross-sectional data obtained at time T1. Regarding research aims, standard general linear models (e.g., mediation analysis) will be employed. Instruments: (1) Work ability will be assessed using the new research instrument—The teacher Work Ability Scale (TWAS). Participants will be asked to answer the following questions: “Thinking about the physical, psychological, social, and organizational demands of your teaching job, how do you rate your current personal resources to meet those demands? I rate my physical capacity as…; I rate my mental capacity as…“ The TWAS items will be measured on a 5-point Likert-type scale with response options ranging from 1 – Very poor to 5 – Excellent. As part of the data analysis at T1, we will assess instrument factor structure using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and convergent and discriminant validity. (2) Burnout will be measured by the Czech version of the Shirom-Melamed Burnout Questionnaire (SMBQ; Ptáček et al., 2017). The SMBQ is a 14-item inventory consisting of three subscales that measure physical exhaustion, cognitive weariness, and emotional exhaustion. The SMBQ items are measured on a 7-point Likert-type scale with response options ranging from 1 – never or almost never to 7 – always or almost always. (3) Job demands are conceptualized in our research as workload. Participants will be asked to assess the workload in administrative burden, teaching duties, and non-teaching duties on a 4-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (low) to 4 (very high). (4) Job resources are conceptualized in our research as supervisor and co-worker support. Participants will be asked to assess the support provided by the supervisor and co-workers on a 4-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (low) to 4 (very high).

First, we will introduce a new research instrument measuring work ability among teachers conceptually distinct from other constructs and its psychometrical properties. Second, we will extend the understanding of the relationships between teachers’ work ability on the one hand and job demands, job resources, and burnout on the other hand. This paper’s main focus will be investigating the mediating role of burnout in work ability. In addition to enriching the JD-R theory, our findings might have some practical implications for the maintenance and promotion of teachers’ work ability. Based on our findings, we will provide recommendations to support work ability and, thus, indirectly to the well-being of teachers. Recommendations will be directed not only to teachers but also to school management.

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