The Influence of Headteachers’ Instructional Leadership and ICT Literacy on Teachers’ Instructional Leadership through Teachers’ Work Motivation in Primary Schools in South Solok Regency

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the relationships of principals’ instructional leadership and teachers’ information and communication technology (ICT) literacy with teacher instructional leadership, with work motivation positioned as a mediating mechanism among public elementary school teachers in South Solok Regency, Indonesia. A quantitative correlational survey design was employed involving 291 teachers selected from a population of 1,190 through proportional random sampling. Data were collected using five-point Likert-scale questionnaires and analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) with SmartPLS 4.1.1.8 through measurement- and structural-model evaluation. The results showed that principals’ instructional leadership was positively associated with work motivation (β = 0.264, t = 4.775, p < 0.001) and teacher instructional leadership (β = 0.128, t = 2.766, p = 0.006). ICT literacy was positively associated with work motivation (β = 0.519, t = 9.773, p < 0.001) but not directly with teacher instructional leadership (β = 0.044, p = 0.374). Work motivation showed the strongest relationship with teacher instructional leadership (β = 0.709, t = 14.709, p < 0.001) and significantly mediated both the principal instructional leadership pathway (β = 0.187) and the ICT literacy pathway (β = 0.368). The model explained 67.2% of the variance in teacher instructional leadership. These findings indicate that organizational and digital resources become more consequential when translated into sustained teacher motivation. Given the cross-sectional, self-reported design, future longitudinal and multi-source studies are needed to strengthen causal inference and generalizability.