Journal of Social Work and Science Education
Vol. 8 No. 1 (2027): Forthcoming Issue

Principal Leadership Practices for Strengthening Teacher Competence in Primary Education

Hikmah Hikmah (Universitas PGRI Palembang, South Sumatra, Indonesia)
Reva Maria Valianti (Universitas PGRI Palembang, South Sumatra, Indonesia)
Yessi Fitriani (Universitas PGRI Palembang, South Sumatra, Indonesia)



Article Info

Publish Date
24 Jul 2026

Abstract

This study examined principal leadership practices for strengthening teacher competence, the conditions that supported or constrained those practices, and the strategies used to address the constraints. A descriptive qualitative case study was conducted at a public primary school in South Sumatra, Indonesia. Participants were one principal and three classroom teachers selected purposively because of their direct involvement in teacher development activities. Data were generated through semi-structured interviews, non-participant observation, and document analysis, then analyzed through data condensation, data display, thematic comparison, and conclusion verification. Trustworthiness was enhanced through source and technique triangulation. The findings show that teacher development was sustained through an integrated set of seven leadership roles: educator, manager, administrator, supervisor, leader, innovator, and motivator. These roles were enacted through Teacher Working Group participation, internal coaching, scheduled academic supervision, assistance with instructional administration, encouragement of digital learning, collegial problem solving, and recognition of teacher effort. Enabling conditions included the principal’s commitment, collegial cooperation, teacher motivation, professional learning opportunities, and basic infrastructure. Constraints involved limited funding and time, unequal digital competence, and administrative workload. The study contributes a context-sensitive model showing that principal leadership strengthens teacher competence when professional learning, supervision, organizational support, and adaptive problem solving operate as a coherent cycle rather than as separate activities.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

jswse

Publisher

Subject

Religion Economics, Econometrics & Finance Education Environmental Science Languange, Linguistic, Communication & Media

Description

The Journal of Social Work and Science Education (JSWSE) is firmly established as an authoritative voice in the world of social work and science education with E-ISSN: 2723-6919 and P-ISSN 2746-0827. JSWSE publishes scholarly papers that focus on the social science, teaching and learning, science in ...