Managerial Competence and Work Motivation in Kindergarten Governance in West Lombok
This study of 36 kindergarten principals in West Lombok, Indonesia, found that while work motivation significantly predicts school-based management implementation, managerial competence showed only a non-significant positive association, suggesting that fostering motivational conditions is crucial for effective kindergarten governance.
Original paper licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). This is an AI-generated explanation of the paper below. It is not written or endorsed by the authors. For technical accuracy, refer to the original paper. Read full disclaimer
Running a kindergarten is a complex act of balancing care, education, and administration. In many places, the responsibility for making these daily decisions has shifted from distant government offices to the school itself, a system known as school-based management. This approach asks the person in charge—the principal—to coordinate resources, plan programs, and build relationships with the community to support young children's learning. However, giving someone this authority does not guarantee they will use it effectively. The success of such a system likely depends on two things: the principal's actual ability to organize and manage the school, and their personal drive to do the work well. Understanding how these two factors interact is crucial, because if a leader lacks the necessary skills or the internal motivation, the entire educational environment for the youngest students can suffer.
Researchers in West Lombok, Indonesia, set out to explore exactly this relationship among thirty-six kindergarten principals. They wanted to see if a principal's self-reported management skills and their level of work motivation were linked to how well they felt they were implementing school-based management. The team surveyed the principals using detailed questionnaires that asked them to rate their own abilities in planning, organizing, and supervising, as well as their feelings about achievement, recognition, and the nature of their work. They then compared these ratings against the principals' own reports of how successfully they were managing their schools.
The results offered a clear picture of what drives these leaders, though not in the way one might expect. When the researchers looked at motivation alone, they found a strong, positive connection. Principals who reported feeling more motivated—those who felt recognized, responsible, and energized by their work—also reported higher levels of success in managing their schools. This relationship was statistically significant, meaning it was unlikely to be a random fluke. In fact, the study suggests that a principal's internal drive is a powerful predictor of how well they carry out their administrative duties.
The story was different when it came to management skills. The data showed that principals who rated themselves higher in managerial competence also tended to report better implementation of school-based management. However, this link was not strong enough to be considered statistically certain based on the size of the group studied. While the trend pointed in the right direction, the evidence was not definitive enough to rule out chance. This uncertainty is important because it suggests that while having the right skills is important, the study could not prove with high confidence that skills alone were the deciding factor in this specific group.
When the researchers combined both factors into a single model, they found that together, management competence and work motivation explained about a quarter of the differences in how well the principals managed their schools. This means that while these two elements are helpful, they do not tell the whole story. There are likely other factors at play, such as the specific conditions of the school, the support available from the community, or resources that were not measured in the survey. The study did not find evidence that one factor changed the effect of the other, nor did it prove that better skills or higher motivation caused better management outcomes, as the survey was a snapshot in time rather than a long-term experiment.
Ultimately, the research highlights that the human element of leadership matters deeply. The findings suggest that supporting kindergarten principals is not just about training them in management techniques, but also about fostering an environment where they feel valued and motivated. The study indicates that while professional capability is relevant, the conditions that make work meaningful and the relationships that support leaders are equally vital. For the educators and policymakers who care about early childhood education, the takeaway is that building a successful school requires looking at the whole person leading it, ensuring they have both the tools and the spirit to navigate the complex responsibilities of their role.
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