Typological analysis of teachers’ self-regulation based on conservation of resources theory: A new perspective on the success of blended instruction

The promotion of blended learning has not only enhanced instructional quality but also increased the workload, pressure, and professional challenges faced by university teachers. This study aims to identify patterns of work-related behavior and experience pertaining to successful blended instruction. From the perspective of conservation of resources (COR) theory, this study adopts self-regulation types to describe the behavioral patterns exhibited by teachers in their efforts to balance resource investment (work engagement) with resource conservation (resilience). To identify the different self-regulation types among teachers involved in blended teaching, a survey and latent profile analysis was conducted with 161 Chinese university teachers. Regression analysis was then employed to investigate whether these self-regulation types significantly impact two critical criteria for the success of blended instruction: instructional quality and occupational well-being. The findings of this research are as follows. 1) Four self-regulatory patterns were identified among blended instruction teachers: Actively Balanced (40%), Calmly Content (14%), Fatigued and Burnt-Out (11%), and Aggressively Imbalanced (35%). 2) These patterns of self-regulation significantly influence teachers’ instructional quality and occupational well-being scores. 3) The distribution of self-regulatory types differs markedly between blended instruction teachers and classroom teachers. 4) As a noncognitive ability, the incorporation of self-regulation into models of teachers’ blended instruction competency is both sound and necessary. The implications for improving teachers' resilience in blended learning were also discussed.