Journal of Innovation and Research in Primary Education
Vol. 4 No. 4 (2025)

Principal Leadership and Teacher Self-Efficacy as Key Determinants of Teaching Performance in Inclusive Kindergarten Settings

Kurniasih, Kurniasih (Unknown)
Suparno, Suparno (Unknown)



Article Info

Publish Date
19 Sep 2025

Abstract

Teacher effectiveness in inclusive kindergarten settings requires understanding multiple factors that influence performance. Limited research examines the combined effects of leadership, psychological, and pedagogical factors on inclusive early childhood education quality. This study investigated the influence of principal leadership, teacher self-efficacy, and instructional innovation on teaching performance among inclusive kindergarten teachers in East Kutai Regency, Indonesia. A quantitative causal associative design was employed with 90 inclusive kindergarten teachers selected through stratified random sampling across 18 sub-districts. Data were collected using validated questionnaires measuring principal leadership (α = 0.889), teacher self-efficacy (α = 0.853), instructional innovation (α = 0.935), and teaching performance (α = 0.824). Multiple linear regression analysis was conducted after confirming classical assumptions. Principal leadership (β = 0.610, p < 0.001) and teacher self-efficacy (β = 0.361, p < 0.001) significantly predicted teaching performance, while instructional innovation showed no significant influence (β = 0.043, p = 0.456). The model explained 78.3% of performance variance (Adjusted R² = 0.783, F = 107.869, p < 0.001). Principal leadership emerges as the strongest predictor of teaching performance in inclusive kindergarten settings, followed by teacher self-efficacy. The non-significant innovation effect suggests implementation challenges requiring further investigation. These findings support prioritizing transformational leadership development and self-efficacy enhancement programs for inclusive education improvement.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

jirpe

Publisher

Subject

Education Languange, Linguistic, Communication & Media Mathematics Other

Description

Journal of Innovation and Research in Primary Education (JIRPE) is a peer-reviewed, open-access journal that publishes original research and review articles primarily but limited to the area of elementary school education. It brings together academics and researchers from different countries who ...