Work Motivation, Discipline, Work Environment, and Teacher Performance: Mediating Role of Job Satisfaction

Purpose: This study examines the direct and indirect effects of work motivation, work discipline, and work environment on teacher performance at SMK Negeri 2 Kaimana, Indonesia, with job satisfaction as a mediating variable. The study highlights the importance of understanding how these factors interact to influence teacher performance in a remote educational context.

Research Methodology: A quantitative explanatory design was applied. The population consisted of 96 teachers, and a census (total sampling) approach was used. Data were collected through structured Likert-scale questionnaires and analyzed using path analysis with SPSS to test direct and indirect effects.

Results: Work motivation, work discipline, and work environment significantly and positively affect job satisfaction. In addition, all three independent variables and job satisfaction significantly influence teacher performance. Path analysis confirms that job satisfaction strengthens the relationship between the independent variables and teacher performance, indicating a significant mediating role. Among the predictors, work environment shows the strongest effect on performance.

Conclusions: Work motivation, discipline, and work environment are key determinants of job satisfaction and teacher performance. Job satisfaction plays an important mediating role in enhancing the impact of these variables on performance.

Limitations: The study is limited to one school and uses a cross-sectional design, which restricts generalizability and causal inference. The use of regression-based path analysis also limits construct validation.

Contributions: This study contributes to educational human resource management literature by validating the motivation–discipline–environment–satisfaction–performance framework in a remote Indonesian vocational school context and provides practical implications for school management improvement strategies.