The Influence Of School Principals’ Managerial Skills And Teacher’s Work Motivation On The Quality Of Junior High School Dian Nur Afiah1, Rasiman2, Sumarno3 1,2,3Universitas PGRI Semarang, Indonesia *Corresponding Author. E-mail: dianafiah639@gmail.com Abstract: This study investigates the influence of school principals' managerial skills and teachers' work motivation on the quality of Junior High Schools in Kedungwuni District, Pekalongan Regency. The research used a quantitative approach with a descriptive design involving 110 teachers from various schools in the district. Data was collected using questionnaires with a Likert scale and performed using multiple regression analysis. The findings indicate that school principals' managerial skills and teachers' work motivation significantly influence school quality. The results showed that school principals' managerial skills contributed 61.7% to improving school quality, while teachers' work motivation contributed 72.0%. Moreover, both variables accounted for 63.8% of the variation in school quality, indicating that they work together to enhance educational outcomes. The study further identified that the most significant dimension of managerial skills was human relations, followed by conceptual and technical skills. At the same time, intrinsic motivation played a more prominent role in motivating teachers than extrinsic motivation. Based on these findings, it is recommended that school principals enhance their managerial skills, especially in technical aspects, and that teachers actively improve their motivation. The local education authority should also support the development of school principals' leadership capabilities and create programs that foster teachers' professional growth. This study contributes to understanding how effective leadership and motivated teachers can significantly improve school quality, offering valuable insights for educational policymakers and practitioners. Keywords: School-Friendly Child, Policy Implementation, Child Protection, Educational Policymakers, Practitioners. Introduction Education is one of the key elements in developing a nation, as stated in the Government Regulation of the Republic of Indonesia (PP RI) No. 57 of 2021 on the National Education Standards. Education enlightens the nation and builds high-quality human resources to face the challenges of an increasingly evolving era. Therefore, to create a quality education system, it is necessary to have National Education Institut Agama Islam Negeri (IAIN) Curup, Indonesia ISSN 2580-3174, (p); 2580-3190 (e) Volume 10, Number 1, 2025 |Page: 149-166 DOI: http://doi.org/10.29240/ajis.v10i1.12983 Academic Journal of Islamic Studies AJIS mailto:dianafiah639@gmail.com http://doi.org/10.29240/ajis.v10i1.12983 150 | AJIS : Academic Journal of Islamic Studies, vol. 10, no. 1, 2025 Standards that serve as guidelines for education providers to improve the quality of education in Indonesia. However, despite many efforts that have been made, the quality of education in various regions of Indonesia, including in Kedungwuni District, Pekalongan Regency, still faces many challenges. School quality is one of the leading indicators in measuring the success of an education system. According to Devi1, educational quality involves three key aspects: input, process, and output. Educational input includes resources required in the learning process, such as human resources (school principals, teachers, and students), facilities, and infrastructure, as well as policies and programs in place at the school. The educational process encompasses institutional management, learning programs, and evaluation and monitoring. Meanwhile, educational output is measured by student academic and non-academic performance achievements. In Kedungwuni District, Pekalongan Regency, the quality of junior high schools (SMP) is still suboptimal, as reflected in the 2023 SMP education report card data. Based on preliminary observations, the quality of schools in Kedungwuni District is still moderate, with several indicators showing inadequate results, particularly in aspects such as school resources, the quality of teaching, and students' numeracy skills. Table 1.1, which shows the average education report card results in Kedungwuni District, indicates that many indicators, such as the proportion of school resource utilization and expenditure on improving teacher quality, fall short (17.61% and 2.44%, respectively). Furthermore, the assessed teaching and instructional leadership quality is still moderate (61.27% and 54.66%). This reflects significant challenges in achieving optimal educational quality in the region. Table 1. SMP Education Report Card in Kedungwuni District, Pekalongan Regency in 2023 No Indicator Average Achievement Value Achievement Label A2 Numeracy Ability 58,00 Moderate D1 Quality of Teaching 61,27 Moderate D2 Teacher Reflection and 57,23 Moderate 1 Devi, D. "Pendidikan Bermutu: Konsep, Aspek, dan Implementasi." Jurnal Pendidikan Nasional, vol. 10, no. 2, 2021, pp. 6-10 Dian Nur Afiah et.al : The Influence Of School Principals’ Managerial Skills... | 151 Improvement of Teaching D3 Instructional Leadership 54,66 Moderate E1 Participation of Education Community Members 73,34 Moderate E2 Proportion of School Resource Utilization for Quality Improvement 17,61 Poor E2.1 Proportion of Expenditure on Improving Teacher and Educational Staff Quality 2,44 Poor E2.2 Proportion of Expenditure on Non-Personal Learning Quality 15,18 Poor Source: Secondary Data from the Education Unit of Kedungwuni District Based on the table above, it can be observed that the quality of Junior High Schools (SMP) in Kedungwuni District, Pekalongan Regency, is still suboptimal, as evidenced by indicators in the education report card showing average achievements that are categorized as moderate and poor. Indicators such as the proportion of school resource utilization, expenditure for improving the quality of teachers and educational staff, and participation from the education community still fall under the poor achievement category, highlighting an urgent need for improvement in these areas. The learning process also has not shown maximal results, with the quality of teaching and teacher reflection on learning remaining in the moderate category. One critical factor influencing school quality is the managerial skills of the school principal. As the primary manager in the educational institution, the school principal plays a significant role in creating a conducive environment for effective learning. Strong managerial skills in a principal can significantly contribute to improving school quality, as stated by Masrukhin2, Katarina & Rahmi3, who assert that principals with strong managerial skills can create practical and efficient schools. The organizational skills of a school principal encompass technical skills, human relations skills, and conceptual skills4. However, based on 2 Masrukhin. "Pengaruh Kepemimpinan Kepala Sekolah terhadap Mutu Sekolah." Jurnal Manajemen Pendidikan, vol. 15, no. 1, 2018, pp. 55-70 3 Oktarina, N., and Rahmi, F. "Kepemimpinan Kepala Sekolah dalam Meningkatkan Mutu Pendidikan." Jurnal Kepemimpinan Pendidikan, vol. 8, no. 3, 2019, pp. 35-42 4 Saputra, A. "Keterampilan Manajerial Kepala Sekolah dalam Mengelola 152 | AJIS : Academic Journal of Islamic Studies, vol. 10, no. 1, 2025 interviews with teachers in Kedungwuni District, it was found that most principals in the region have not yet optimized their managerial skills, as reflected in the observation results indicating that 60% of principals do not follow up on the supervision of classroom activities. In addition to the principal's managerial skills, teachers' work motivation significantly improves school quality. Teachers with high motivation will be enthusiastic about planning and implementing learning activities that can enhance student achievement. According to Fandholi5, teacher work motivation is a key factor affecting the quality of education, as high motivation encourages teachers to develop their skills and knowledge in teaching. However, in Kedungwuni District, preliminary observations indicate that teacher work motivation is still low, as reflected in the results showing that 50% of teachers are not responsible for their duties, 60% of teachers have not demonstrated adequate performance in teaching, and 85% of teachers are not interested in participating in teacher achievement competitions. The challenges SMPs face in Kedungwuni require special attention from various parties, including school principals, teachers, and the community. Moreover, strategic efforts are needed to enhance the managerial skills of school principals and teachers' work motivation to improve the schools' overall quality. The novelty of this research lies in integrating the analysis of school principals' managerial skills and teachers' work motivation in the specific context of school quality in the Kedungwuni District. This study further analyses the influence of school principals' managerial skills and teachers' work motivation on educational quality in junior high schools in the region. Literature Review School quality is an essential aspect of the education system, encompassing the effectiveness and efficiency of managing educational resources to achieve the expected goals. According to Hoy & Miskel6, school quality refers to an effective school consisting of coordinated inputs, processes, and outputs to ensure students compete according to societal needs. Fandholi7 also states that school quality represents the Pendidikan." Jurnal Pendidikan dan Manajemen, vol. 11, no. 2, 2018, pp. 102-110 5 Fandholi, M. "Motivasi Kerja Guru dan Pengaruhnya terhadap Mutu Pembelajaran." Jurnal Pendidikan dan Psikologi, vol. 18, no. 4, 2023, pp. 350-355. 6 Hoy, W. K., and Miskel, C. G. Educational Administration: Theory, Research, and Practice. 9th ed., McGraw-Hill, 2018. 7 Fandholi, M. "Motivasi Kerja Guru dan Pengaruhnya terhadap Mutu Dian Nur Afiah et.al : The Influence Of School Principals’ Managerial Skills... | 153 level of excellence a school achieves in reaching educational goals, involving an assessment of key components such as educational inputs, processes, and outputs. Suryadi8 adds that school quality is the ability of an educational institution to utilize available resources to improve students’ learning capabilities optimally. On the other hand, Edy9 states that school quality is the degree of excellence in managing a school, effectively and efficiently producing academic and non-academic excellence in students. Susanto10 also defines school quality as the operational activities of an educational unit that prioritize customer satisfaction through the involvement of all school components in committing to change and continuous improvement. At the same time, Zazin11 mentions that school quality is related to the quality of services provided by educational institutions that can produce graduates with abilities and skills suitable to societal needs. Based on these various viewpoints, it can be concluded that school quality is the level of excellence of an educational institution reflected in the effectiveness and efficiency of managing educational resources to achieve the expected educational goals. To measure school quality, Suryadi12 identifies several dimensions, including inputs, which involve quality policies, available resources, and high achievement expectations; processes, which include the effectiveness of the learning process, strong leadership, educator management, as well as a quality culture and school community participation; and outputs, which relate to academic and non-academic achievements as a result of effective learning. Mulyasa13 adds that school quality indicators include teacher characteristics, facilities, equipment, educational materials, and management capacity as input indicators; administrative behaviour and allocation of teachers' and students' time as process indicators; and learning achievements and consistency of Pembelajaran." 8 Suryadi, D. "Manajemen Mutu Sekolah: Pendekatan dan Strategi." Jurnal Manajemen Pendidikan, vol. 15, no. 1, 2016, pp. 8-25. 9 Edy, M. "Kualitas Pembelajaran di Sekolah Menengah Pertama." Jurnal Pendidikan Sekolah Menengah, vol. 16, no. 3, 2021, pp. 88-94. 10 Susanto, R. "Kepemimpinan Kepala Sekolah dan Implikasinya terhadap Kinerja Guru." Jurnal Kepemimpinan Pendidikan, vol. 23, no. 1, 2024, pp. 45-53 11 Zazin, A. "Mutu Sekolah dan Layanan Pendidikan." Jurnal Pendidikan dan Pembangunan, vol. 11, no. 1, 2019, pp. 66-70. 12 Suryadi, D. "Manajemen Mutu Sekolah: Pendekatan dan Strategi." 13 Mulyasa, E. Manajemen Pendidikan: Konsep dan Implementasi. PT Remaja Rosdakarya, 2014. 154 | AJIS : Academic Journal of Islamic Studies, vol. 10, no. 1, 2025 results as output indicators. Triatna14 categorizes school quality into outcome, process, and input quality, with outcome quality reflected in academic and non-academic achievements, process quality seen from students' comfort with the learning provided, and input quality assessed from various inputs that support the learning process. The managerial skills of school principals are crucial in managing schools and ensuring that educational goals are effectively and efficiently achieved. Wahyudi15 defines managerial skills as managing school resources to achieve predetermined goals. Robbins16 defines managerial skills as principals' competence to perform their tasks as managers within schools. Mahmud17 adds that managerial skills include planning, organizing, leadership, and controlling to achieve specific objectives. Amri18 states that managerial skills encompass planning, organizing, motivating, and managing organizational activities to achieve set targets. Multazam19 further reveals that school principals' managerial skills include motivating others through concepts, human relations, and techniques, resulting in work outcomes aligned with desired goals. Principals' managerial skills include conceptual, human relations, and technical skills. Wahyudi20 explains conceptual skills as the ability of a principal to see the school as a whole and plan the necessary changes; human relations skills as the principal's ability to work with others, including teachers, staff, and students, and build practical cooperation, while technical skills involve the principal's ability to manage administrative tasks and ensure that the learning process is conducted effectively. Robbins21 also identifies three dimensions of managerial skills: technical skills, which involve the ability to apply specific knowledge; human skills, which affect the ability to communicate and 14 Triatna, N. "Peran Motivasi Kerja Guru dalam Meningkatkan Kinerja dan Mutu Sekolah." Jurnal Pendidikan Dasar, vol. 18, no. 4, 2021, pp. 77-85. 15 Wahyudi, H. "Keterampilan Manajerial Kepala Sekolah dalam Meningkatkan Mutu Sekolah." Jurnal Pendidikan dan Manajemen Sekolah, vol. 12, no. 1, 2015, pp. 68- 75. 16 Robbins, S. P. Organizational Behavior: Managing People and Organizations. 13th ed., Pearson Prentice Hall, 2017. 17 Mahmud, Alimuddin. Manajemen Pendidikan. Pustaka Setia, 2015. 18 Amri, S. "Keterampilan Manajerial Kepala Sekolah: Konsep dan Aplikasi." Jurnal Manajemen Pendidikan, vol. 10, no. 3, 2020, pp. 270-272. 19 Multazam, M. "Keterampilan Manajerial Kepala Sekolah: Teori dan Aplikasi." Jurnal Kepemimpinan Pendidikan, vol. 14, no. 1, 2021, pp. 8-10. 20 Wahyudi, H. "Keterampilan Manajerial Kepala Sekolah dalam Meningkatkan Mutu Sekolah." 21 Robbins, S. P. Organizational Behavior: Managing People and Organizations. 13th ed., Pearson Prentice Hall, 2017. Dian Nur Afiah et.al : The Influence Of School Principals’ Managerial Skills... | 155 motivate others; and conceptual skills, which include the ability to analyze and solve complex problems. Teacher work motivation is the drive or force within a teacher to carry out their tasks and responsibilities with enthusiasm and perseverance. Robbins22 defines motivation as the process that explains an individual's strength, direction, and perseverance in achieving goals. Uno23 states that teacher work motivation is the process that moves teachers to direct their behaviour toward tangible efforts to achieve set objectives. Susanto24 explains that work motivation is the force that drives an individual to perform tasks with enthusiasm and passion to reach established goals. Darmadi25 adds that work motivation is the drive that encourages employees to perform their duties and responsibilities satisfactorily. Sahir26 defines work motivation as the process where needs drive someone to engage in a series of activities leading to achieving specific goals and organizational objectives. Wardan27 also defines work motivation as the desire and willingness of an individual to make decisions and act, using all their psychological, social, and physical capabilities to achieve a specific goal. Based on these experts' opinions, it can be concluded that teacher work motivation is the process involving strength, drive, and desire within teachers to act with enthusiasm and perseverance in carrying out their tasks, aiming to achieve results that meet individual, organizational, and educational goals. According to Aisyah28, work motivation consists of two primary forms: intrinsic and extrinsic. Intrinsic motivation relates to internal drives to achieve personal satisfaction and expectations. In contrast, extrinsic motivation involves external factors such as salary, work environment conditions, and leadership or community support. Uno29 also identifies the dimensions of teacher work motivation, which include internal and external drives. Herzberg (in 22 Robbins, S. P. Organizational Behavior: Managing People and Organizations 23 Uno, Hamzah B. Motivasi Kerja dalam Pendidikan. Bumi Aksara, 2016. 24 Susanto, R. "Peran Kepala Sekolah dalam Meningkatkan Kualitas Sekolah." Jurnal Pendidikan dan Pengelolaan Sekolah, vol. 22, no. 1, 2024, pp. 15-21. 25 Darmadi, A. "Motivasi Kerja dalam Konteks Pendidikan." Jurnal Manajemen Pendidikan, vol. 15, no. 4, 2018, pp. 294-298. 26 Sahir. Motivasi Kerja dalam Organisasi. Prenada Media, 2022 27 Wardan, A. "Motivasi Kerja: Faktor-Faktor yang Mempengaruhi Kinerja Pekerja." Jurnal Manajemen dan Psikologi, vol. 9, no. 2, 2020, pp. 109-113. 28 Aisyah, A. "Motivasi Kerja Guru: Teori dan Praktik." Jurnal Pendidikan dan Pengembangan, vol. 22, no. 2, 2022, pp. 73-75. 29 Uno, H. B. Motivasi Kerja dalam Pendidikan. Bumi Aksara, 2018 156 | AJIS : Academic Journal of Islamic Studies, vol. 10, no. 1, 2025 Robbin) developed a two-factor theory distinguishing between extrinsic factors, such as salary and working conditions, and intrinsic factors, such as recognition, responsibility, and achievement30. Research Methods This study employs a quantitative approach to test the established hypotheses and analyze the causal relationships between the independent and dependent variables. The quantitative method is based on the philosophy of positivism, which is used to study a specific population or sample through data collection using research instruments that generate quantitative or statistical data. According to Sugiyono31, quantitative methods aim to test the established hypotheses and analyze the causal relationships between variables. In this study, the technique used is multiple regression analysis, which develops regression equations to find the value of the dependent variable based on known independent variables. This study uses three variables: the managerial skills of school principals (X1) and teachers' work motivation (X2) as independent variables and school quality (Y) as the dependent variable. Simple regression tests the first and second hypotheses, while multiple regression is used for the third hypothesis. This research is conducted in the junior high schools (SMP) in Zone 2, Kedungwuni District, Pekalongan Regency. The study subjects are teachers from the SMPs in Zone 2, Kedungwuni District. The research will take place from August 2024 to July 2025, involving various stages such as title submission, proposal preparation, instrument testing, data collection, data processing, thesis writing, and thesis defence. The research process will go through several scheduled phases, beginning with title submission and ending with thesis revision in 2025. The research design uses a quantitative approach with an ex-post facto research type, revealing data or events that have already occurred without altering or manipulating the variables or samples studied. As explained by Arikunto , Ex-post facto research aims to study events that have already happened and seek their causes. This study is also causal, aiming to uncover the influence of independent variables (school principals' managerial skills and teachers' work motivation) on the dependent variable (school quality). The research design illustrates the 30 Robbins, Stephen P. Organizational Behavior: Managing People and Organizations. 13th ed., Pearson Prentice Hall, 2017. 31 Sugiyono. Metode Penelitian Kuantitatif, Kualitatif, dan R&D. Alfabeta, 2018. Dian Nur Afiah et.al : The Influence Of School Principals’ Managerial Skills... | 157 cause-and-effect relationship between these variables, with the school principals' managerial skills and teachers' work motivation as independent variables, affecting school quality as the dependent variable. This study involves three variables categorized into two types: independent and dependent variables. The independent variables consist of the school principals' managerial skills (X1) and teachers' work motivation (X2), while the dependent variable is school quality (Y). According to Sugiyono32, a variable is an attribute or attitude of an individual or object with a particular variation. The school quality variable is measured through input, process, and output, including teachers' characteristics, student quality, learning facilities, a relevant curriculum, and a conducive school environment. The school principals' managerial skills are measured through the dimensions of conceptual skills, human relations skills, and technical skills, which include planning, coordination, communication, and school administration management. Meanwhile, teachers' work motivation is measured through intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, which involves responsibility, work performance, support from leadership, and working conditions. The population in this study is all junior high school teachers in Zone 2, Kedungwuni District, totalling 152 teachers. The sample was selected using proportional random sampling, ensuring that the chosen sample represents the population randomly, considering the number of teachers in each school. The sample size was determined using Slovin's formula with a 5% margin of error, resulting in a sample of 110 teachers. This sampling technique ensures that the sample size is proportional to the number of teachers in each school within the area. Data were collected using a questionnaire distributed to 110 respondents. The questionnaire used in this study is a Likert scale, measuring respondents' attitudes, opinions, and perceptions regarding the studied variables. Before data collection, validity and reliability tests were conducted to ensure that the instruments used could generate valid and reliable data. Validity testing was performed using Pearson's correlation technique, and reliability was assessed using Cronbach's alpha. Afterwards, data analysis was conducted using normality, linearity, homogeneity, and multicollinearity tests. To test the hypotheses, simple linear regression was used for the first and second hypotheses, while multiple linear regression was used for the third 32 Sugiyono. Metode Penelitian Kuantitatif, Kualitatif, dan R&D. 158 | AJIS : Academic Journal of Islamic Studies, vol. 10, no. 1, 2025 hypothesis. The results of the F-test and t-test were used to assess the overall and individual influences on the dependent variable. Results and Discussions The first analysis conducted in this study is to measure the respondents' perceptions of the research variables used to explain the trends in respondents' answers regarding the managerial skills of school principals, teachers' work motivation, and school quality. The respondents involved in this study were 110 teachers from several Junior High Schools (SMP) in Kedungwuni District, Pekalongan Regency. The perceptions of the respondents toward each variable were measured using a Likert scale, which includes five alternative answers, ranging from strongly disagree (STS) to agree (SS). Based on the results of descriptive statistical calculations performed using the SPSS program, the average score for the School Principal's Managerial Skills (X1) variable was 130.68, for Teachers' Work Motivation (X2) was 116.38, and for School Quality (Y) was 130.33. These results indicate that all three variables have a relatively symmetric distribution, with the values tending to fall in the moderate to high categories. The respondents' perceptions of the school principal's managerial skills showed considerable variation. The highest score achieved by respondents was 168, while the lowest score was 91, with a range of 77. From the frequency distribution analysis, most respondents rated the managerial skills of school principals in the "moderately high" and "low" categories, with each category representing 33.6%. Thus, it can be concluded that most regional school principals possess adequate managerial skills, although some principals still fall into the low and very low categories. This finding indicates the need for efforts to develop the organizational capacity of school principals to improve school quality further. The teachers' work motivation results showed that most teachers had good work motivation, with an average score of 116.38 and a score ranging from 85 to 137. Most respondents rated teachers' work motivation as "moderately high" and "high," with each category accounting for 39.1% and 28.2%, respectively. This indicates that, although most teachers are motivated, several are still in the "low" and "very low" categories. These findings show that teachers' work motivation plays a significant role in enhancing the quality of education, and it needs to be optimized to become more uniform across all schools. Based on the research findings, the respondents' perceptions of Dian Nur Afiah et.al : The Influence Of School Principals’ Managerial Skills... | 159 school quality also showed a pretty good distribution, with an average score of 130.33 and a score range from 96 to 158. This data indicates that most respondents rated school quality as "moderately high," with 29.1% rating it in this category. As many as 22.7% rated school quality as "high," and 19.1% rated it as "very high." However, some respondents also rated school quality in the "low" and "very low" categories. This shows variations in school quality between schools, which needs further attention from the relevant authorities. Dimensional testing for the school principal's managerial skills revealed that the "human relations skills" dimension received the highest extraction coefficient of 0.979, indicating that this dimension contributed the most to the principal's managerial skills. Meanwhile, testing dimensions for teachers' work motivation revealed that the "intrinsic motivation" dimension had the highest extraction coefficient (0.679). For the school quality variable, the "input" dimension had the highest extraction coefficient (0.829). The normality test results showed that the data distribution was normal, as the significance value was greater than 0.05. Furthermore, the linearity test results showed that the relationships between the school principal's managerial skills and school quality and between teachers' work motivation and school quality met the linearity assumption. The first hypothesis test aimed to analyze the effect of the school principal's managerial skills (X1) on school quality (Y). The correlation test results showed a significant positive relationship between the principal's managerial skills and school quality, with a Pearson correlation value of 0.632 and a significance level of 0.036. Referring to the significance value being smaller than 0.05, it can be concluded that the school principal's managerial skills significantly affect school quality. This finding is reinforced by the F-test, where the F value of 12.256 is larger than the F table value of 3.080, indicating that the hypothesis stating the school principal's managerial skills affect school quality is accepted. Additionally, the coefficient of determination (R Square) yielded a value of 0.617, meaning that the school principal's managerial skills explain approximately 61.7% of the variation in school quality, with the remaining 38.3% influenced by other factors not studied in this research. For the second hypothesis test, which examines the effect of teachers' work motivation on school quality, a correlation test was performed between the teachers' work motivation (X2) and school quality (Y). The correlation test results showed a Pearson correlation 160 | AJIS : Academic Journal of Islamic Studies, vol. 10, no. 1, 2025 value of 0.641 with a significance level of 0.011. This value indicates a strong and positive relationship between teachers' work motivation and school quality, as the calculated r-value (0.641) is higher than the table value (0.187), indicating a significant correlation between the two variables. The subsequent F-test produced an F value of 12.581 with a significance level of 0.011, less than 0.05. Therefore, it can be concluded that teachers' work motivation significantly affects school quality. The R Square value obtained was 0.720, indicating that teachers' work motivation contributes 72% to improving school quality, with other factors influencing 28%. The third hypothesis tests the simultaneous effect of the school principal's managerial skills (X1) and teachers' work motivation (X2) on school quality (Y). The F-test results showed an F value of 33.209 with a significance level of 0.000, which is less than 0.05, leading to the conclusion that the hypothesis stating both independent variables simultaneously affect school quality is accepted. The coefficient of determination for the third hypothesis yielded an R Square value of 0.638, meaning that these two independent variables can explain 63.8% of the variation in school quality. In contrast, the remaining 36.2% is influenced by other factors not included in the model. Based on the research findings on the variable of school principals' managerial skills (X1), it was found that respondents' perceptions showed a considerable variation. The total score of the respondents reached 14,375, with an average score of 130.68, ranging from a maximum score of 170 to a minimum of 91. Based on the five- level classification, most respondents rated the school principals' managerial skills as "moderately high" and "low," each accounting for 33.6%. Meanwhile, those who rated it as "high" made up 15.5%, "very high" 9.1%, and "very low" 8.2%. These findings suggest that although most respondents considered the school principals' managerial skills relatively good, a significant proportion still rated these skills as low to very low, indicating the need to develop further principals' managerial capacities to enhance school quality. The dimensional test on the school principals' managerial skills variable revealed three main dimensions: conceptual, human relations, and technical skills. This test was conducted to assess the validity and reliability of each dimension, aiming to ensure that the data obtained accurately represents the condition of the school principals' managerial skills. Based on the analysis using the SPSS program, the extraction coefficient was obtained, indicating the level of association of each Dian Nur Afiah et.al : The Influence Of School Principals’ Managerial Skills... | 161 dimension with the school principals' managerial skills variable. The dimension with the highest extraction coefficient was human relations skills (0.979), indicating that this dimension contributes the most to the school principal's managerial skills. The conceptual skills dimension followed with an extraction coefficient of 0.973, marking a significant contribution, although slightly lower than the human relations skills dimension. According to previous research, Maulana and Syahputra33 also showed that school principals' managerial skills strongly correlate with the efficient use of BOS funds and other school budgets. Sound financial management indicates effective management, ultimately supporting improving educational service quality. This finding strengthens the argument that school principals' managerial skills, particularly in human resource and financial management, play a crucial role in improving the quality of education in schools. From this discussion and supported by various previous studies, it can be concluded that school principals' managerial skills are essential in improving school quality. These skills, which include conceptual, human relations, and technical skills, contribute significantly to achieving better educational quality. The research findings on teachers' work motivation indicate that, in general, teachers' work motivation is rated as moderately high, with an average score of 116.38 and a score range between 85 and 137. Of the 110 respondents, 39.1% rated teachers' work motivation as moderately high, 28.2% as high, and 16.3% as very high. Meanwhile, 10.0% of respondents rated it as low, and 6.4% rated it as very low. These findings reflect that most teachers have good work motivation, although there is still a small number of teachers in the low and very low categories. Therefore, improving teachers' work motivation is still necessary to make it more widespread and optimal across schools. The teacher work motivation variable consists of two main dimensions: intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation. Dimensional testing was conducted to assess the validity and reliability of both dimensions, aiming to ensure that the data provides a clear and reliable picture of teachers' work motivation. Based on an analysis using Principal Component Analysis (PCA), which was processed through SPSS, extraction coefficients for each dimension of teachers' work 33 Maulana, R., & Syahputra, A. "Keterampilan Manajerial Kepala Sekolah dan Pengaruhnya terhadap Efisiensi Penggunaan Dana BOS." Jurnal Manajemen Pendidikan, vol. 22, no. 1, 2024, pp. 15-29. 162 | AJIS : Academic Journal of Islamic Studies, vol. 10, no. 1, 2025 motivation were obtained. The intrinsic motivation dimension had the highest extraction coefficient (0.679), indicating a significant influence of intrinsic motivation on improving teachers' performance quality. On the other hand, the extrinsic motivation dimension had an extraction coefficient of 0.578, indicating that, although important, the influence of extrinsic motivation is somewhat lower than that of intrinsic motivation. A study conducted by Tarigan and Panggabean34 at SMK Negeri 7 Medan also showed a relatively strong positive relationship between work motivation and teacher performance. With a coefficient of determination (R²) of 0.203, the results indicated that work motivation could explain about 20.3% of the variation in teacher performance. This finding reinforces our study's result that enhancing teachers' work motivation positively impacts school quality. The multiple regression analysis results show that school principals' managerial skills and teachers' work motivation significantly affect school quality, with an R Square value of 0.638. This indicates that these two variables can explain 63.8% of the variation in school quality. This finding strengthens the conclusion that these two variables support and contribute significantly to achieving better educational quality in schools. In the regression analysis, each unit increase in the school principals' managerial skills (X1) will increase school quality by 0.639. In contrast, a one-unit increase in teachers' work motivation (X2) will increase school quality by 0.649. Although both have a positive influence, teachers' work motivation has a slightly larger impact on school quality compared to school principals' managerial skills. These results align with previous research showing that school principals' managerial skills and teachers' work motivation significantly improve educational quality. For example, a study by Fandholi, Egar, and Nurkolis35 revealed that teachers' work motivation positively affects school quality by 33.5%, while school culture contributes 22.6%. Therefore, it can be concluded that the success of improving school quality heavily depends on good management, both from the school 34 Tarigan, T., & Panggabean, R. "Pengaruh Motivasi Kerja Guru terhadap Kinerja Guru di SMK Negeri 7 Medan." Jurnal Pendidikan dan Pengembangan Sumber Daya Manusia, vol. 10, no. 2, 2022, pp. 45-60. 35 Fandholi, M., Egar, A., & Nurkolis, E. "Pengaruh Motivasi Kerja Guru terhadap Mutu Sekolah." Jurnal Pendidikan dan Manajemen Sekolah, vol. 23, no. 4, 2023, pp. 75- 83. Dian Nur Afiah et.al : The Influence Of School Principals’ Managerial Skills... | 163 principals' managerial skills and the motivation provided to teachers. Conclusion Based on the analysis and discussion in the previous chapters, it can be concluded that both school principals' managerial skills and teachers' work motivation significantly impact school quality. This study shows that school principals' managerial skills contribute 61.7% to improving school quality, indicating that principals with good organizational skills can manage school resources more effectively, thereby improving the quality of education. In addition, teachers' work motivation also has a positive impact on school quality, contributing 72.0%. These findings emphasize the importance of teachers' work motivation in creating a conducive learning environment, which enhances the quality of teaching and student learning outcomes. Simultaneously, school principals' managerial skills and teachers' work motivation significantly contribute to school quality, with a total contribution of 63.8%. This demonstrates that these two factors reinforce each other and play a critical role in improving the overall quality of education. Based on these findings, several recommendations can be made. First, school principals must continue developing their managerial skills, especially in the technical skills dimension, which showed the lowest contribution in this study. Improving principals' technical skills, such as in administrative management and classroom supervision, will enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of school management. Additionally, principals should encourage enhancing teachers' work motivation by offering incentives or external rewards that can increase their extrinsic motivation, which in this study was found to have a lower influence than intrinsic motivation. 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