Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Teacher professional development is a key factor in enhancing the quality of education. Within technology-mediated or structured training environments, the concept of "presence"-particularly as defined by the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework-offers a valuable lens for understanding how different types of interactions shape learning experiences. However, the specific ways in which these dimensions of presence can be translated into tangible professional development outcomes for teachers remain unclear. METHODS: This study employed structural equation modeling to examine how different dimensions of presence shape teachers' professional development outcomes, focusing on the mediating roles of learning motivation and self-efficacy. Data were collected from 1,298 teachers who participated in the training from rural schools in the Chengdu-Chongqing region and from a few universities in Sichuan Province. RESULTS: The results indicate that teaching presence positively predicts learning motivation and cognitive presence but not self-efficacy or professional development outcomes. Social presence significantly predicts self-efficacy and cognitive presence yet shows no significant effects on learning motivation or professional development outcomes. In contrast, cognitive presence exerts significant positive effects on learning motivation, self-efficacy, and professional development outcomes. Moreover, learning motivation and self-efficacy do not mediate the effects of teaching presence or social presence on professional development, but they do significantly mediate the relationship between cognitive presence and professional development outcomes. DISCUSSION: These findings suggest that the pathway from cognitive presence to professional development outcomes, mediated by motivation and self-efficacy, constitutes the central mechanism of teacher growth. Teaching presence primarily facilitates cognitive construction and motivation, whereas social presence functions as a supportive safeguard through community building and efficacy enhancement. Overall, the study underscores that teachers, as adult learners, are more strongly driven by cognitive fulfillment and competence development than by social interaction or emotional support.