The Promotion Mechanism Of Normal Students' Sense Of Professional Mission From The Perspective Of Self-concept: The Role Of Sense Of Meaning In Life

As ?prospective teachers?,normal students will be an important part of the teachers' team and take great responsibility in cultivating talents in the new era.Therefore,improving the calling of normal students plays a vital role in the construction of future teachers' team.Calling is a transcendent summons,experienced as originating beyond the self,to approach a particular life role in a manner oriented toward deriving a sense of purpose or meaningfulness and that holds other-oriented values and goals as primary sources of motivation.Normal students with a high calling can connect their future career with their personal goals,and have a positively cognitive and emotional experience for teachers' career,as well as a strong motivation for work and dedication.In order to explore the formation and promotion mechanism of normal students' calling,the present study,explores the joint effects of self-esteem and self-concept clarity on normal students' calling,as well as the mediating and moderating mechanisms of meaning in life(including presence of meaning and searching for meaning)by using cross-sectional(Study1)and longitudinal data(Study 2).The results are as follows:Study 1 found that:(1)Self-esteem positively predicted calling in a directive manner,while self-concept clarity did not;(2)Presence of meaning had a partial mediating effect between self-esteem and calling,and had a complete mediating effect between self-concept clarity and calling;(3)Searching for meaning significantly moderated the second half of the mediating path.Study 2 found that:(1)Cross-lagged regression analyses showed that self-concept clarity(not self-esteem)in pre-test(one year ago)could positively predict post-test(one year later)calling,while pre-test calling could not significantly predict post-test self-esteem or self-concept clarity;(2)Using the longitudinal data,it is found that presence of meaning had a mediating effect between self-concept(i.e.,self-esteem and self-concept clarity)and calling,and searching for meaning significantly moderated the mediating paths.Generally,the main results of cross-sectional and longitudinal data are consistent,which have verified the hypothesis model,and show that self-concept positively predicts calling of normal students,and meaning in life plays both mediating and moderating roles in that relation.It indicates that for individuals with low levels of meaning searching,consolidating and enhancing the existing level of presence of meaning can effectively improve calling.For individuals with high levels of meaning searching,enhancing the level of self-concept(such as enhancing self-esteem and self-clarity)is more effective for improving calling.From the perspective of self-concept,the present research tried to build an integrated theoretical model,and explored the inner connections among self-concept,meaning in life and calling.The stability of this model across time is verified by using longitudinal data.The present findings would provide better theoretical practical implications for cultivating normal students' calling.