<![CDATA[This study examined the effects of holistic education and school culture on the performance of early childhood education (ECE) teachers, with work motivation as a mediating variable, in ECE institutions participating in the Holistic Character-Based Education (PHBK) program in South Kalimantan, Indonesia. A quantitative explanatory design was employed involving 113 ECE teachers from 16 core and Level 5 Developing ECE institutions across eight regencies/cities. Data were collected using five-point Likert-scale questionnaires measuring holistic education, school culture, work motivation, and teacher performance. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and path analysis, with the Sobel test used to examine mediation effects. The findings demonstrated that holistic education significantly predicted work motivation (β = 0.653, p < .001) and teacher performance (β = 0.201, p = .006). School culture significantly predicted work motivation (β = 0.753, p < .001) and teacher performance (β = 0.164, p = .047). Work motivation significantly predicted teacher performance (β = 0.591, p < .001). Furthermore, work motivation significantly mediated the effects of holistic education and school culture on teacher performance, with indirect effects of 0.386 and 0.445, respectively. The model explained 76.7% of the variance in teacher performance. These findings highlight the importance of integrating value-based professional development, supportive school cultures, and intrinsic work motivation to strengthen sustainable teacher performance in ECE.]]>
