Pengaruh Gaya Kepemimpinan Transaksional Dan Motivasi Kerja Kepala Sekolah Terhadap Kinerja Guru Di Sekolah Dasar Gugus I Kecamatan Lunang

This study is motivated by the importance of teacher performance in supporting the quality of learning in elementary schools, as well as challenges in the implementation of teachers’ professional responsibilities at public elementary schools in Cluster I, Lunang District, particularly in the use of educational technology, preparation of instructional materials, assessment, and professional development. This study aims to analyze the effect of principals’ transactional leadership style on teacher performance, the effect of principals’ work motivation on teacher performance, and the role of principals’ work motivation in moderating the relationship between transactional leadership style and teacher performance. A quantitative approach was employed, involving the entire population of 47 teachers from four elementary schools using a saturated sampling technique. Data were collected through Likert-scale questionnaires and analyzed using regression analysis and Moderated Regression Analysis (MRA). The results indicate that transactional leadership style has a positive and significant effect on teacher performance (B = 0.401; p = 0.006). Principals’ work motivation also has a positive and significant effect on teacher performance (B = 0.501; p < 0.001), with a relatively stronger relationship based on the standardized beta coefficient. However, principals’ work motivation was not found to moderate the relationship between transactional leadership style and teacher performance (B = −0.014; p = 0.285). The study concludes that both variables have significant direct effects on teacher performance, but principals’ work motivation neither strengthens nor weakens the relationship between transactional leadership style and teacher performance.