The impact of meaning in life on preservice teachers’ innovative behavior: the chain mediating effects of career calling and learning engagement

The cultivation of innovation ability among preservice teachers is crucial for the modernization of Chinese education, and the neglect of nonintellectual factors constitutes a key determinant of the inadequate training outcomes. Based on the self-determination theory, this study constructs a theoretical model with meaning in life as the independent variable, innovative behavior as the dependent variable, and career calling and learning engagement as the mediating variables to explore ways to stimulate innovative behavior. We used four scales of meaning in life, innovative behavior, career calling and learning engagement to investigate preservice teachers, and collected 2516 valid data. The results show that the meaning in life has a positive predictive effect on innovative behavior. The effect of meaning in life on innovative behavior can be mediated by career calling and learning engagement independently as well as through the chain mediation of ‘career calling → learning engagement’. The findings indicate that the innovative behavior of preservice teachers is not only affected by the meaning in life, but also closely related to their career calling and learning engagement. To better cultivate the innovation ability of preservice teachers, educational policymakers and administrators should focus on fostering their meaning in life, enhancing their career calling, and promoting learning engagement.