Title:
EXAMINING THE MEDIATING ROLE OF WORK MOTIVATION IN THE LEADERSHIP–COMMUNICATION–PERFORMANCE NEXUS: EVIDENCE FROM REMOTE ISLAND SCHOOLS

Authors:
Muhammad Alwi, Ansar and Sitti Roskina Mas

Abstract:
Educational inequality continues to shape learning outcomes in geographically isolated regions, especially in remote island schools where institutional and professional resources are limited. Although previous studies have established the direct influence of principal leadership and internal communication on teacher performance, fewer studies have examined the psychological processes through which these organizational factors operate. This research conceptualizes the leadership– communication–performance relationship as a system in which work motivation functions as an intervening mechanism under structural constraints. A cross-sectional survey was conducted involving 90 teachers (63% of the population) from four junior high schools in Banggai District, Indonesia. Structural path analysis revealed that work motivation exerted the strongest direct influence on teacher performance (? = .425, p < .001). Principal leadership (? = .348, p < .001) and internal communication (? = .276, p = .001) demonstrated both direct and indirect effects through motivational processes. The indirect pathways contributed meaningfully to the total effects of leadership (.566) and communication (.440). These findings indicate that, within resource-limited educational contexts, leadership and communication shape performance primarily by fostering motivational engagement. The study offers a context-sensitive mediation framework for understanding teacher performance in geographically dispersed school environments.

Keywords:
principal leadership, internal communication, work motivation; teacher performance.

DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37500/IJESSR.2026.9117

Date of Publication: 26-02-2026