Happy teachers, quality schools: improving teacher performance through happiness, motivation and a good work life
Authors:   Universitas Negeri Semarang, Septiani Sisca , Sutarto Joko ,   Universitas Negeri Semarang, Utomo Cahyo Budi ,   Universitas Negeri Semarang, Widiyanto  ,   Education Study Program Postgraduate Program
Published: January 2025

Introduction. The gap between expected teacher performance and actual teacher performance is one
of the problems faced by all teachers. Despite the important role teachers play in shaping educational
outcomes, many teachers face challenges that adversely affect performance, including stress, lack of
motivation, and suboptimal working conditions. The purpose of this study is to explore how happiness at
work, motivation, and quality of work life affect teacher performance.
Study participants and methods. Respondents in this study were public high school teachers consisting
of 17 schools totaling 260 teachers. Respondents in terms of age, the majority are 41-50 years old (35.8%),
the majority are female 182 people (70%), and male 78 people (30%). The majority of respondents' last
education was bachelor 211 people (81.2%). The length of work of most respondents was 177 people
(68.1), and the status of respondents as civil servants was 114 (43.8%). Data were analyzed using SPSS Win.
27 and SmartPLS 3.0. The statistical techniques used were descriptive statistical analysis, and Structural
Equation Modeling (SEM) analysis including: validity and reliability, HTMT test, Structural model evaluation,
hypothesis testing analyzing direct effects and indirect effects through intervening variables, Evaluation
of goodness of fit and model fit.
Results. The first validity and reliability test shows Cronbach's alpha value> 0.70, so all data is reliable.,
Outer loading values of the four variables range from 0.701 to 0.930. This indicates that all measurement
items are valid. Hypothesis test results show happiness at work significantly improves the quality of
work life and teacher performance. Motivation also had a positive impact on quality of work life, but
less of a direct effect on teacher performance. Quality of work life acts as an important mediator
in this relationship, highlighting the importance of quality of work life in improving overall teacher
performance. Overall, the results of the goodness-of-fit evaluation indicate that the proposed model fits
the data. The R Square values indicate that the model can explain variations in the quality of work life
and teacher performance variables, although there is still room for improvement. Model fit indicators
such as SRMR, d_ULS, d_G, Chi-Square, and NFI show that the model has a good fit with the data.
Therefore, the proposed model can be used to understand the relationship between happiness at work,
motivation, quality of work life, and teacher performance.
Conclusion. This study shows that workplace happiness and motivation are important factors affecting
the quality of work life and teacher performance in public high schools in the Purwakarta district. This
study examines the mediating effect of quality of work life on the relationship between happiness at work,
motivation and performance. This research can be used as an evaluation and policy-making material to
pay more attention to the conditions of teachers.