This study explored the relationship between proactive personality, self-determination and work engagement of child care teachers. This study examined that the relationship between variables by using the structural equation model.

280 child care teacher who enrolled in the university institute for upgrading and maintenance education or received questionnaires directly or by post responded to questionnaires on work engagement, self-determination and proactive personality in Daegu, Kyungpook and Kyungnam provinces. A total of 280 questionnaires were distributed and final analysis was conducted for 233 subjects except for the questionnaires that were not responded to and answered unfavorably.

Statistical methods for data analysis are SPSS 19.0 and AMOS 20.0. We then estimated the model fit using the maximum likelihood estimation method.
The fit of the measurement model was evaluated using the Chi-Square (χ2), the Tucker-Lewis Index (TLI), Normed Fit Index (NFI), Confirmatory Fit Index (CFI), Standardized Root Mean Square Residual (SRMR) and Root Mean Square Error of Approximation(RMSEA). Statistical significance was tested at the significance level of .05. AMOS 20 bootstrapping was performed to confirm the mediation effect.

The results of this study are as follows:

First, work engagement of child care teachers was positive indirect influenced by proactive personality.
Second, work engagement of chid care teachers was positive direct influenced by self-determination.
Third, self-determination of child care teachers was positive direct influenced by proactive personality.
Fourth, proactive personality of child care teachers has positive influenced work engagement, but this effects is indirect influences through self-determination.

This implies that child care teachers who have high proactive personality has high work engagement because their high proactive personality has a positive influence high work engagement through high self-determination.
The purpose of this study is to improve the work engagement of child care teachers by investigating the effect of child care teacher’s proactive personality and self-determination.


The results of this study suggest that an environment should be provided to express the child care teacher’s proactive personality for their intrinsic motivation and work engagement so that improve child care teacher’s quality.