<![CDATA[This study originates from the gap between employee potential and actual performance outcomes in the public sector, underscoring the need for a more comprehensive understanding of the psychological, behavioral, and moral determinants shaping performance. This study employs a quantitative correlational and causal-comparative design. It examines the effects of work motivation, work discipline, and trustworthiness on employee performance at the Directorate General of Islamic Education (Ditjen Pendis). Data were collected through a Likert-scale survey and analyzed using multiple regression and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to test direct, interaction, mediation, and moderation effects. The findings reveal that motivation, discipline, and trustworthiness collectively explain 61% of the variance in employee performance, with motivation emerging as the strongest predictor. Discipline strengthens the relationship between motivation and performance, while trustworthiness acts as a partial mediator by transmitting part of motivation’s effect through the internalization of Islamic-based ethical responsibility in bureaucratic practice. These finding indicate that performance improvement is shaped not only by psychological energy but also by structured behavioral regulation and internalized ethical foundations. Theoretically, this study advances a value-mediated performance framework, and practically provides a basis for designing integrated public-sector human resource development strategies grounded in motivation, discipline, and integrity.]]>
