Participative Leadership and Teacher Performance: The Mediating Role of Motivation in Educational Settings

Abstract

Education plays a crucial role in developing individuals’ character in alignment with social and cultural values. Nevertheless, the application of participative leadership in educational institutions continues to encounter various obstacles, such as insufficient collaboration among stakeholders like teachers and parents, leading to decision-making processes that do not fully accommodate all perspectives. This study seeks to analyze the effect of participative leadership on teacher performance, with teacher motivation acting as an intervening variable. A descriptive quantitative approach with a survey method was used, involving 33 teachers as participants. Data analysis combined qualitative and quantitative techniques, including path analysis to explore the relationships between variables. The findings indicate that participative leadership significantly impacts teacher performance, has a strong influence on teacher motivation, and that motivation itself significantly contributes to performance. Additionally, participative leadership indirectly enhances teacher performance through its effect on motivation as a mediating factor. These results emphasize the critical role of participative leadership in improving both teacher motivation and performance within educational contexts.