Features of the contemporary educational system that involve frequent changes in educational politics, increased administrative demands, insufficient teacher autonomy, focus on performativity, poor material conditions etc., may lead to teacher disappointment and consequently to low work engagement and job satisfaction. Nonetheless, some personality traits may operate as protective or risk factors of teacher professional well-being regardless of the objective circumstances. Thus, the aim of this research was to examine the mediational role of teacher disappointment in the educational system in explaining the relationship between teacher personality (dispositional affect and resilience) and job satisfaction and work engagement. The study included 2993 class and subject teachers employed at elementary and secondary schools in Croatia. SEM analysis revealed that disappointment partially mediates the relationship between dispositional affect and job satisfaction and work engagement, while it fully mediates the relationship between resilience and these outcomes. Higher levels of resilience and positive affect, but lower levels of negative affect, contribute to less disappointment in the educational system. Furthermore, lower levels of disappointment contribute to less job satisfaction and less work engagement. Finally, teachers who are more prone to positive affect and less to negative affect, are also more satisfied with their job and are more engaged in it.

teachers, disappointment in the educational system, job satisfaction, work engagement, resilience, dispositional affect