The Role of Teacher Competence as a Mediating Variable between Principals’ Leadership Style and Teacher Characteristics on Teacher Performance in Elementary Schools of Babalan District, Langkat Regency

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the influence of leadership style and teacher characteristics on teacher performance, with competence serving as an intervening variable among elementary school teachers in Babalan District, Langkat Regency. The decline in teacher performance in this area has become a major concern in the context of educational management, considering that teachers play a central role in achieving the quality of learning outcomes. The study employed a quantitative approach using path analysis. Data were collected through questionnaires distributed to elementary school teachers and analyzed using multiple regression and Sobel tests to examine the mediating effect of competence.

The results revealed that the principal’s leadership style had no significant effect on teacher competence or performance. In contrast, teacher characteristics had a positive and significant effect on competence, and competence significantly affected teacher performance. The Sobel test further indicated that competence did not mediate the relationship between leadership style and performance but significantly mediated the effect of teacher characteristics on performance. These findings suggest that improvements in teacher performance are more strongly influenced by individual characteristics and professional competence rather than by structural leadership factors.

Therefore, efforts to enhance the quality of primary education should focus on developing teacher competence based on individual characteristics while encouraging a more participatory and developmental leadership approach among school principals.