THE INFLUENCE OF PRINCIPAL’S LEADERSHIP ON TEACHERS’ COMPETENCY, MOTIVATION AND JOB SATISFACTION, AND ITS IMPLICATION ON TEACHERS’ PERFORMANCE IN WEST JAVA (22 - 33)

Abstract

The aim of this article is to analyze the empirical facts about the structure of the relationship among the variables that influence directly or indirectly, on teachers’ performance, which consists of principal’s leadership, teachers’ competency, motivation and job satisfaction. This study used survey and verification research on 366 teachers in the Vocational High School in West Java Province, using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) analysis. The descriptive analysis indicates that task-oriented behavior is more prominent in the leadership of principals than relationship- oriented behavior, not all teachers have a standard of professional competence, not all teachers demonstrate aspects of the high valence and instrumentality in supporting their performance, there is still a gap between the actual conditions of high employment and expectations about the job in supporting teachers’ performance, mainly due to the dissatisfaction of teachers with reward system, and the performance of teachers has not been fully demonstrated commitment to students and students’ learning, professional knowledge, teaching practice, leadership and school community, and continued professional learning. Results of verification analysis show that the principal’s leadership has a direct impact on teacher competence, work motivation, and job satisfaction. However, the principal’s leadership does not imply directly to the teachers’ performance, but through teacher competence, work motivation, and job satisfaction. In this way, the principal’s leadership may act more as a driver or enabler that allows an increase in competence, motivation and job satisfaction of teachers so that in turn it would improve teachers’ performance.