Pa ge 1 Pa ge 13 American Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Innovation (AJMRI) The Mediating Effect of Work Ethics on the Relationship Between Authentic Leadership of School Heads and Task Performance of Public School Teachers Mary Concepcion B. Ricaplaza1*, Lyndon A. Quines1 Volume 1 Issue 6, Year 2022 ISSN: 2158-8155 (Online), 2832-4854 (Print) DOI: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajmri.v1i6.1006 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajmri Article Information ABSTRACT Received: November 25, 2022 Accepted: November 30, 2022 Published: December 02, 2022 The utmost objective of this study was to investigate the mediating effect of work ethics on authentic leadership of school heads and task performance of teachers among the 310 public elementary school teacher-respondents in Magsaysay South and North districts, Division of Davao del Sur. This study used a descriptive correlation technique in a non-experimental design. The statistical tools used were mean, Person r, and path analysis using AMOS. Research instruments on work ethics, authentic leadership and task performance which underwent content validation were used as sources of data. Numerical data revealed that the level of authentic leadership of school heads was rated high. Similarly, the level of task performance of teachers was rated high. Likewise, the level of work ethics of teachers was rated high. Moreover, utilizing Pearson r, results revealed that there are significant relationships between authentic leadership and task performance, work ethics and task performance and authentic leadership and task performance. Utilizing path analysis, the results of the study revealed that there is partial mediation on effect of work ethics on the relationship between authentic leadership and task performance. Subsequently, it is significantly pointed out that about 36.9 percent of the total effect of work ethics on the task performance and about 63.1 percent of the total effect is either direct or mediated by other variables not included in the model. This implies that authentic leadership influences work ethics which in turn influences task performance. Keywords Educational Management, Mediating Effect, Work Ethics, Authentic Leadership, Task Performance, Philippines INTRODUCTION The societal quest for teachers’ quality task performance is a global issue of preeminent importance which serves as guidepost to principals, to effectively prepare all students to become productive citizens in the 21st century. Along with this, teachers put in a lot of effort outside of class to make sure that the students they are responsible for are receiving an interesting learning environment. Teachers’ task performance is correlated with students’ learning outcomes due to the high demands and expectations placed on students’ development (Hwang et al., 2017). This pressing concern requires the authentic leadership of school heads, as it is their responsibility to set the tone of the school and inspire teachers to achieve the standard routinely task performance, geared towards the attainment of institutional goals (Zeb et al., 2019). Similar studies indicated the importance of teachers’ task performance in the achievement of the school’s vision, mission, and goals (Hartzell, 2018; Özgenel, 2019). Further studies (Maximo et al., 2019); elucidated that teachers task performance involves demonstrating to the students successful use of the knowledge/skills through modeling, selecting developmentally appropriate instructional approaches and strategies, emphasizing mastery of the lesson to ensure that students understand what has been taught, evaluating students’ knowledge acquisition and providing remedial opportunities for students’ needing instructional assistance. Related studies (Duarte et al., 2021) support the notion that teachers’ numerous task performance is crucial and play a critical role in improving student achievement in schools. Along this enormous challenge, George (2003), duly cited by Farid et al. (2020) postulated the importance of authentic leadership in the workplace to enable school heads to lead teachers in motivating them to demonstrate effective and efficient methods in improving learning outcomes. On the other hand, related researchers conducted by Davoodi & Bahadori (2016); Bande (2020) & Falcone (2022), indicated the importance of work ethics of all employees in the organization as this serves as guide in the performance of their duties and responsibilities. Aligned to this, Williams (2020) noted the importance of work ethics in the workplace to lessen if not eradicate widespread workplace distractions which brings havoc to the task performance of all employees. Moreover, according to Vaux (2018), in the educational institutions, work ethics plays a huge role in school heads’ authentic leadership and teachers’ task performance as they are all expected to demonstrate priority focus on their routinely task and maximize instructional time productively. Furthermore, Goldman (2010), duly cited by Sprigghr (2020) elucidated that work ethics serves as a scaffold in addressing the huge gap between authentic leadership and task performance of employees enabling them to achieve their tasks with efficiency and effectiveness, as elucidated by. In the Philippines, Republic Act 7836 stipulated the Code of Ethics for Professional Teachers which mandated that all public school teachers are expected to be professionally competent in the practice of their profession. Teachers are led by this paper, which thoroughly covered the various expectations put out therein, as they bear such a 1 University of Mindanao Davao City, Phillipines * Corresponding author’s e-mail: maryconception.butal@deped.gov.ph https://doi.org/10.54536/ajmri.v1i6.1006 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajmri mailto:maryconception.butal%40deped.gov.ph?subject= Pa ge 14 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajmri Am. J. Multidis. Res. Innov. 1(6) 13-29, 2022 significant duty in the learning environment. Conversely, the Philippine Professional Standard for Teachers (PPST) is a standards framework that articulates the expected task performance of teachers as they refine their practice and respond to the complexities of educational reforms. As part of the Department of Education organization, all teachers are expected to do their designated tasks as set in the teaching standards and follow the directions and instructions of the school administrator and higher DepEd officials (Bernal, 2020). In congruence to this mandate, the superintendency in the Division of Davao del Sur has been staunch in his directive to strengthen the leadership capacities of school heads and give importance to the instructional performance of the teaching staff towards the expected teaching standards. The current gap lies on the teachers being demoralized due to lack of School heads’ support, adding more problem is the huge literacy gap among learners brought about by the global pandemic. Along these pressing issues, there is an urgent need for everyone in the school organization to strengthen work ethics in order to address the present gaps in the educational institutions. All these can only be achieved thru the authentic leadership of school heads and the efficient task performance of teachers. With utmost urgency to address learning gaps in the public schools, the researcher is primarily motivated to scrutinize deeper and examine if work ethics will mediate the relationship between authentic leadership of school heads and the task performance of teachers towards the attainment of improved academic landscape. Further, may this study be able to generate new knowledge that can provide explicit contribution in the field of education. The main thrust of the study is to find out the significance of the mediation of work ethics of teachers on the relationship between authentic leadership of school heads and task performance of public school teachers in Magsaysay South and North District. Moreover, it has the following objectives: • 1. To describe the level of authentic leadership of school head according to the following indicators: • 2. To ascertain the level of task performance of public school teachers along these indicators: • 3. To describe the level of work ethics among public school teachers along these indicators: • 4. To determine the significance of the relationship between: • 5. To determine the significance of mediation of work ethics on the relationship between authentic leadership of school heads and task performance among public school teachers. LITERATURE REVIEW This section presents various approaches, points of view, theories, research findings, findings from publications, and insightful observations from various authors pertinent to related study topics. This section offers substantial evidence to convincingly support the research objectives, which is crucial for the manifestation of understanding in the study. The elements of authentic leadership as conceptualized by George (2010), duly cited by Semedo (2020) are taken into consideration as parameters used in this study. The following indicators are self-awareness; internalized moral perspective; balanced processing; and relational transparency. These indicators will serve as the factors in measuring the independent variable. Conversely, the task performance of teachers is anchored from the Philippine Professional Standards for Teachers Manual (PPST Manual 2015). The five domains comprise the Task performance of public school teachers, as follows: Domain 1, Content Knowledge and Pedagogy; Domain 2, Learning Environment; Domain 3, Diversity of Learners; Domain 4, Curriculum and Planning; Domain 5, Assessment and Reporting. The dependent variable was measured using these indicators as the parameters. Moreover, the concept of work ethics is anchored from Goldman (2010), as cited by Sprigghr (2020), are utilized as parameters in this study. The indicators of work ethics are as follows: time management; productivity; accountability and responsibility, professionalism and dedication. This served as the parameter in measuring the mediating variable. Authentic Leadership The idea of authentic leadership was developed by Greek thinkers in antiquity. Authentic is derivative of the Greek work authentikos, which implies fundamental or real. This method of leadership is concerned with the moral ramifications of the interaction between the follower and leader and describes those behaviors that result in a trusting relationship. Current conceptions of authentic leadership reflect their conceptual roots on positive psychology and focused on what comprises affirmative authentic leadership development (Banks, et al, 2016). In a study conducted by Duarte, Ribeiro, Semedo and Gomes (2021), on authentic leadership and improved individual performance, the workplace performance of employees was positively correlated with authentic leadership, both directly and indirectly, through the two postulated psychological processes, according to the data gathered from 214 employees working in various economic sectors. The results showed that genuine leadership strengthened employees; emotional ties to their firms, increased individual inventiveness and, as a result, encouraging better task performance. This study has some bearing on this current research, as this comprises authentic leadership and employees’ performance. The difference lies on the scope, as the current study involves the mediation of work ethics between the two variables. Authentic leadership also includes the capacity to unite people and align them around a shared vision and mission, as well as the audacity to take on such a vision and mission, according to Gardner et.al, (2005), as cited by Chen (2019). It https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajmri Pa ge 15 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajmri Am. J. Multidis. Res. Innov. 1(6) 13-29, 2022 requires discipline to practice one’s personal principles and the ideals of the company every day. It also requires the ability to do so. Furthermore, results from a study conducted by Xu et al. (2017) and Ribeiro et al. (2018) showed that employees viewed effective leaders who were able to foster a positive, enticing, and supportive organizational environment as being genuine leaders with personal moral standards who were transparent in their actions and interactions with others. Authentic leaders knew how to empower people in the organization to step up and lead. According to Guhao Jr. and Quines’ study on the mediating effect of school leaders’ authentic leadership on the relationship between teamwork attitudes and work engagement, which was conducted in line with the topic of authentic leadership, authentic leadership had a partial medicating effect on the relationship between teamwork attitudes and engagement. This implied that the honest leadership of the school heads served as a mediator, aiding in the explanation of the process underlying the association between a cooperative attitude and a commitment to hard effort. The research paper by Lyubovnikova, Legood, Turner, and Mamakouka (2017), which hypothesized that authentic leadership predicted a specific reflexivity regulatory team phase, which is linked to two outcomes of team success, effectiveness, and productivity, also pointed out that the study’s findings are parallel to those of that study. Additionally, genuine leadership influenced collective team activities and promoted reflexivity in the team process, which in turn helped predict team success. The topic of authentic leadership was covered in this study, which is fairly comparable to the current research work. The main distinction is that authentic leadership is used as a mediating variable between teamwork attitudes and work engagement. Conversely, an authentic leader is defined by Bill George (2010), as cited by Semedo (2020) as one who values his/ her uniqueness, consistent and transparent in showing one’s ethical self, always. In George’s book, Authentic Leadership: Rediscovering the Secrets to Creating Lasting Value, he postulated that authentic leaders are those who are not afraid of exposing one’s true self, value-laden and ethical in all dealings. George believes authentic leaders has a purpose – a “reason for being.” Passion and a larger- than-life consequence are linked by purpose. The most successful and genuine leaders have a personal purpose that is in line with the goals of their company. Moreover, the elements of authentic leadership is enumerated by George (2010) as as cited by Semedo (2020) which are as follows: self-awareness; internalized moral perspective; balanced processing; and relational transparency. Conversely, Duarte et al. (2021) believed that authentic leaders possess foresight, emotional intelligence, and stay in control under all circumstances and consider all available alternatives in problem solving. While they give value to their unique true self and are transparent in dealing with others however, they act out with diplomacy and tact in dealing with organizational disputes and conflicts. They believe in adopting ethical and socially responsible organizational practices. The first element in authentic leadership is self-awareness (George, 2010; as cited by Semedo, 2020). Farid, et al. (2020) interpolated that self-awareness is perception of one’s own uniqueness and individuality. Being self-aware of one’s skills, talents as well as one’s limitation is the key to a successful life. This takes extra effort and willingness to recognize one’s authentic self. Most often, developing self-awareness as a leader is the first essential step in developing emotional intelligence-which is a proven value in leadership. In addition according to Ribeiro, a leader’s capacity for sensitive self-awareness and emotional intelligence, as well as excellent situational awareness, can be significant tools for managing a team (2020).This means that self- awareness allows leaders to be more cognizant of their actions, emotions, and biases. Successful leaders understand where their natural inclinations lie and utilize this knowledge to enhance those inclinations or compensate for them. As described by Hao, Weifeng and Bowen (2020) self- awareness as the ability of a leader to recognize and understand emotions and use this to manage one’s behavior and relationships. Khan, et al. (2019) opined that in the school organization, it is about recognizing how the school head’s feelings affect staff performance, the extent to which teachers recognizes their strengths and weaknesses and how these impact on the learners. When school heads become more attuned to these areas, they are more able to optimize their effectiveness towards the attainment of the institutional goals. The second element in authentic leadership is internalized moral perspective (George, 2010; as cited by Semedo, 2020). Internalized moral perspective, according to Levy (2020), entails modeling and promoting normatively acceptable behavior through one’s activities and interpersonal interactions. This means that authentic leaders put oneself as an example in promoting ethical behavior in their interactions and interactions with others at work. As viewed by Milić, et al. (2017), it is the responsibility of school heads to model moral uprightness, hence their ethical leadership is crucial in obtaining harmonious relationship in the school orgnization. By internalizing moral perspective in the workplace, school heads are respected, their decisions are valued, and their relationships are treasured. A school head who exhibit internalized moral perspective have an edge over the others Luthans, Norman, Avolio & Avey (2018). His ethical leadership enable him to cultivate a virtuous ethical culture within the organization.. Leaders with high moral standards give their employees confidence in the reliability of their company. Gardner et.al, (2005), as cited by Semedo (2020). specified that in the school organization, school heads who demonstrate moral uprightness are very well supported by the staff, mutual trust and cooperation are voluntarily given by the https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajmri Pa ge 16 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajmri Am. J. Multidis. Res. Innov. 1(6) 13-29, 2022 stakeholders. The school heads decency, respectability and integrity help boost employee morale and motivate them to be more productive in their assigned tasks. Ethical dilemmas can be minimized and curtailed when everyone in the workplace internalize moral uprightness. The third element in authentic leadership is balanced processing (George, 2010; as cited by Semedo, 2020). According to Gatling & Harrah (2014) as cited by Butterworth (2020), balanced processing encompasses a cognitive, emotional and behavioral skill that allows a leader to look at oneself, others and situations with a broad lens that doesn’t magnify one’s own view or organize everyone else’s views around his/her own. Furthermore, true leadership requires the practice of balanced processing as a key competency. This is a crucial tool for bringing equilibrium to one’s mental process, reasoning, and decision-making regarding oneself, other people, and situations. On other hand, in an emotionally balanced organization, employees support each other (Semedo, Coelho, & Ribeiro, 2016). A balanced leader fosters harmony among all stakeholders and increases trust throughout the entire organization. Additionally, Messick & Bazerman (2001) asserted that an emotionally stable school head involves his or her teams in decision-making, follows through with the plan, and shares success with them. The school head readily share the responsibility in making decisions, judicious in all dealings and prudent in giving feedback to the staff. Moreover, a school head who demonstrates balanced processing creates the finest emotional framework possible for their staff (Chen, 2019). Designing and innovating processes that motivates the staff to be more concerned about each other’s welfare paves way to a conflict free organization. It is therefore necessary that the school head’s ethical values positively reflect those of the staff. Above all, school heads who are emotionally balanced are able to align the organizational programs, activities and projects towards the attainment of school goals. The fourth element in authentic leadership is relational transparency (George, 2010; as cited by Semedo, 2020). As viewed by Gatling et al., (2017), relational transparency is the process of developing a working relationship with a coworker, teammate, or any third party based on seeing the person’s being, not just in the role that he or she may occupy at the present. This idea of relational transparency is based on the humanistic tradition of authentic leadership, in which the leaders emphasize their influence through openness and transparency, which encourages followers to identify with the leader, idealize the influence of the leader, and be inspired by the leader. Mutual support, cooperation, collaboration and trust are the factors which comprise relational transparency which results in positive organizational climate. In addition, relational transparency is necessary to obtain support from varied stakeholders (Luenendonk, 2020). A crucial part is played by team trust in the school organization, and this can only be achieved when the school head demonstrates transparency in all dealings. Relational transparency of the school head is therefore vital in the school organization, as this is the fuel that draws the intrinsic and extrinsic stakeholders together and enable them to work cohesively towards one common goal. Subsequently, Luenendonk (2020) further opined that in a school organization, the key player is the school head, hence his leadership skill is of prime importance in the attainment of institutional vision, mission, and goals. Relational transparency enables the school head to act with moral uprightness, diplomacy, tact, and prudence in influencing the staff and other stakeholders to work cohesively as a team. When the school head shows utmost transparency, he is able to motivate and inspire trust which leads to cooperative effort among people -the team develops a shared psychological state that includes a readiness to undertake responsibilities that have been allocated. Semedo, Coelho, and Ribeiro noted that moral compass is acknowledged to be followed by genuine leaders (2016). A true leader is straightforward and unfazed by challenges that come their way, thus their private and public personalities are the same.They consistently exhibit emotional stability and exercise fairness in all dealings. An authentic leader is one who is readily accessible, well- known for his capacity to combine open communication with empathy and justice, and who is demonstrably present in the workplace genuine leaders demonstrate. Truly, as can be deduced from the varied authors, authentic leaders possessed a strong feeling of purpose, are highly devoted to the guiding principles of the educational institutions, showed self-awareness, are honest to themselves and the people they are with, tactful in all dealings, has a collaborative decision skill, and were able to demonstrate a moral code in their relationship with internal and external stakeholders. Task Performance of Teachers According to Tschannen-Moran and Hoy (2001), referenced by Hartzell, task performance is defined as the ability of the employees to transfer the necessary skills and knowledge while employing the proper procedures to achieve the work goal (2018). Additionally, a teacher’s performance reflects their capacity to function well in carrying out their teaching responsibilities with high levels of competence and effort, using strong pedagogical content that promotes students’ understanding and successful learning. Ayuba (2018) suggested that teachers should be subject matter experts, be able to recognize the qualities of effective teaching, learn about the best pedagogies, understand the different learning styles of students, and be aware of their own teaching strengths and weaknesses in order to carry out their duties as teachers effectively. In a recent study conducted by Ayeni (2021) on teachers’ instructional task performance and principals’ https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajmri Pa ge 17 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajmri Am. J. Multidis. Res. Innov. 1(6) 13-29, 2022 supervisory roles, showed the major instructional tasks performed by the teachers. This comprises the preparation of lesson, creating and designing appropriate learning materials, delivery of the curriculum, periodic assessment of students’ learning, and providing regular feedback of students. Furthermore, it was indicated that teachers’ instructional task performance and principals’ supervisory roles are significantly correlated, which implied that when teachers are very well motivated by the school heads in their respective workplaces, the teachers’ performance task improved satisfactorily. This implied further that school heads’ supervision is contributary to the satisfactory performance tasks of teachers, which is of sublime importance in the attainment of curriculum goals. While this study have similarities with the current research, they differed in terms of variable, the former focused on principals’ supervisory roles, while this current research centered on authentic leadership of school heads and its’ relationship to teachers’ performance task. According to Altunova’s (2020) study on the factors affecting classroom instructors’ task performance, teachers identified their own general professional abilities, communication skills, personal qualities, and attitude toward the profession as strong points. The teachers also thought they had excellent professional competencies in general for efficient instruction. Furthermore, the teachers agreed wholeheartedly that qualities including good pedagogical expertise, organizing and executing classroom activities, devising instructional materials, and managing the classroom well all played a significant role in student learning. The current research project, in contrast, looked at the relationship between teachers’ task performance and authentic leadership of school heads, as well as the mediating effect of work ethics on the variables of the study. This study, on the other hand, only focused on the factors affecting classroom teachers’ task performance. Similar study conducted by Habila (2020), which focused on the leadership styles practiced by principals and its relationship to secondary school teachers task performance at Gambella Regional State indicated that those principals who had democratic styles of leadership resulted in enhanced task performances of teachers. The study concluded that the way principals involved teachers in decision-making have a significant effect on teachers’ task performance. This implied that principals who encouraged teachers’ participation in decision-making through their involvement in staff and departmental meetings are valued by the teachers which further encouraged them to cooperate and provide support in all school activities, thereby, enhancing their task performance. This has some bearing with the study as this included the topic on teachers’ task performance, differing only in scope as the current research includes the mediation of work ethics on the variables. Republic Act 10533, which established the K–12 Reform in Education in the Philippines, altered the country’s standards for teachers’ qualifications. The reform process calls for a similar supportive focus on the quality of the instructors who will be entrusted with educating children from kindergarten through grade twelve. The NCBTS was the foundation for the Philippine Professional Standards for Teachers (PPST), which is a complement to reform efforts on teacher quality from pre-service education to in-service training. Through clearly defined domains, strands, and indicators that offer measures of professional development, competent practice, and effective engagement, the PPST articulates the Task performance of teachers. This set of guidelines clarifies the knowledge, skills, and values that educators must possess in order to be competent, improve student learning outcomes, and ultimately provide high-quality instruction (PPST Manual 2015). The following are the task performance requirements for public school teachers, as stated in the Philippine Professional Standards for Teachers Manual (PPST Manual 2015): Domain 1, Content Knowledge and Pedagogy; Domain 2, Learning Environment; Domain 3, Diversity of Learners; Domain 4, Curriculum and Planning; and Domain 5, Assessment and Reporting. Domain 1 described how well teachers managed their content knowledge and pedagogy in terms of task performance. This calls for teachers to be able to master the subject matter and how it relates to other subjects and curriculum areas, as well as to have a solid grasp of how theories and principles of teaching and learning are put into practice. The seven strands—a component of Domain 1 on the management of Content Knowledge and Pedagogy-were outlined in the PPST Manual (2015). According to Ozden (2020), content knowledge includes all of the ideas, rules, connections, procedures, and applications that students are expected to be familiar with in a particular academic field. Ozden (2020) went on to expand, saying further that pedagogy is the science of teaching and is defined as teachers’ methods of presenting and articulating subject-matter knowledge in the context of promoting student learning. The PPST Manual (2015)’s Domain 1 on the management of Content Knowledge and Pedagogy, on the other hand, includes the following: 1.) Content knowledge and its application within and across curriculum areas; 2.) Research-based knowledge and principles of teaching and learning; 3.) Positive use of ICT; 4.) Strategies for promoting literacy and numeracy; 5.) Strategies for developing critical and creative thinking, as well as other higher-order thinking skills; 6.) Mother Tongue, Filipino and English in teaching and learning; and 7.) classroom communication strategies. Consequently, Domain 2, (PPST Manual (2015) emphasized the teachers’ task performance in terms of management of the learning environment. According to Cawthon (2020), the intersecting contexts of the learning environment work together to create a vibrant classroom ambiance of physical, virtual, and cultural space. When managed very well, all students are provided the opportunity to learn the facts and procedural knowledge https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajmri Pa ge 18 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajmri Am. J. Multidis. Res. Innov. 1(6) 13-29, 2022 needed to become well-rounded, responsible individuals. As stipulated in the PPST Manual (2015), this comprises the facilitation of fostering learner responsibility and success through safe, secure, fair, and supportive learning environments. In both physical and virtual environments, teachers are to foster an atmosphere that is focused on learning and well-managed learner behavior. The six domains of Domain 2 on Learning Environment are as follows, according to the PPST Manual (2015): 1. Learner safety and security; 2. Fair learning environment; 3. Management of classroom structure and activities; 4. Support for learner participation; 5. Promotion of purposeful learning; and 6. Management of learner behavior. Additionally, Domain 3 (PPST Manual, 2015) lists the task performance of the teachers in relation to managing the diversity of learners. Rahman, Yahya, and Jalil (2020) state that teachers are obliged to respect the varied traits and experiences of their students when designing and creating learning opportunities. Teachers are also urged to appreciate diversity in the classroom and to help all students become successful citizens in a world that is constantly changing on a local and international scale. Five strands make up the mechanisms under Domain 3 (PPST Manual 2015) on Learner Diversity: 1. Learners’ gender, needs, strengths, interests, and experiences; 2. Learners’ linguistic, cultural, socioeconomic, and religious backgrounds; 3. Learners with disabilities, giftedness, and talents; 4. Learners in challenging circumstances; and 5. Learners from indigenous groups. Additionally, Domain 4 emphasizes the teachers’ task performance by controlling the curriculum and preparation. Smith (2019) claims that teachers are expected to combine local and national curriculum standards and adapt curriculum knowledge into engaging learning activities based on the fundamentals of effective teaching and learning. They must use their professional knowledge to develop well-structured, sequential lessons that are responsive to the needs of the learners, contextually relevant, and include a variety of teaching and learning tools, either independently or in partnership with colleagues.Five strands make up the content of Domain 4 on Curriculum and Planning (from the PPST Manual 2015): 1. Planning and management of the teaching and learning process; 2. Learning outcomes that are in line with learning competencies; 3. Relevance and responsiveness of learning programs; 4. Professional collaboration to enhance teaching practice; and 5. Teaching and learning resources, including ICT. Therefore, Domain 5 manages evaluation and reporting in order to oversee the teachers’ task performance. The administration of assessment and reporting, according to James (2020), entails expressing learning objectives to enhance student engagement, understanding, and achievement. use a range of assessment methods and techniques to track, measure, record, and report learners’ needs, progress, and accomplishments. Teachers are encouraged to make a range of uses of assessment data to improve teaching and learning processes and initiatives (PPST Manual 2015). Assessment and reporting, which is a part of Domain 5, has five strands: 1. Design, 2. Monitoring and evaluation of learner progress and achievement; 3. Feedback to improve learning; 4. Communication of learner needs, progress, and achievement to key stakeholders; and 5. Use of assessment data to improve instructional practices and programs. DepEd Order No. 42 requires S. In accordance with the 2017 DepEd Secretary’s Memorandum on the National Adoption and Implementation of the Philippine Professional Standards for Teachers (PPST), the department acknowledges the significance of professional standards in teachers’ ongoing professional development and advancement based on the idea of lifelong learning. On the other hand, excellent instruction is necessary for excellent learning. As a result, improving teacher quality becomes crucial for long-term and sustainable nation building. The PPST indicators are employed in this study as the foundation for measuring teachers’ task performance. The Philippine Professional Standards for Teachers were created in response to the changes brought about by many national and international frameworks, such as the K–12 Reform, ASEAN Integration, globalization, and the shifting nature of 21st-century learners (PPST). The PPST, which serves as the foundation for teachers’ task performance, establishes clear standards for teachers along well-defined career stages of professional development, from beginning to distinguished practice. It also encourages teachers to actively pursue ongoing efforts to improve their proficiency and uses a standardized method to evaluate teachers’ ongoing performance. Work Ethics Work ethics is defined as a collection of principles that emphasize the value of work and are demonstrated by a commitment or desire to work hard and effectively (Swan, 2016).According to Hutching (2016), several proponents of strong work ethics concur that this is composed of moral principles which are embedded in one’s mind and heart and is demonstrated regularly towards the attainment of work goals. . High-quality work is invariably produced by employees who have excellent work ethics. According to Shapira-Lishchinsky (2018), work ethics involves the interaction of formal and informal structures (such as ethical standards of conduct, educational policies, and colleague behavior). This covers both the ethical conduct of teachers as well as the ethical facets of the teaching profession, such as professional development for instructors, the caliber of instruction, evaluation, and monitoring. Along with knowledge and skills, respect for student culture, safety, and needs, this also addresses the moral aspect of students’ compassion. Moreover, teachers’ work ethics have a significant impact on students’ lives because they are tasked with teaching their charges priceless life lessons ( Salleh, 2018). Teachers https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajmri Pa ge 19 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajmri Am. J. Multidis. Res. Innov. 1(6) 13-29, 2022 follow a code of ethics to demonstrate professionalism, set a good example, and guarantee that these educational resources stay impartial while doing their jobs and achieve their goal of offering uncompromising instruction. Moreover, teachers’ ethical behavior includes purposeful actions in proactive manner to achieve desired level of performance cognizance with the acceptable norms and best practices of the school community. (Davoodi & Bahadori 2016). In a recent study conducted by Çetin et al. (2021) on Ethics of Teaching Profession, indicated that the ethical behavior of teachers is important as they are perceived to be role models in society. Additionally, teachers impart ideals like fairness, equality, and discrimination to the students in addition to knowledge and abilities. Additionally, they discussed the ethical requirements of the teaching profession, such as respect for parents and the school community, professionalism, professional relationships amongst instructors, and concern for kids’ learning and well-being. This study has some bearing with the current research as the topic involves work ethics of teachers. The findings of a related study by Davoudi, Asadi, and Mirzaee (2020), Identifying the Components and Factors Affecting the Professional Ethics of Teachers, highlighted the psychological characteristics, communication-social characteristics, technical-specialized characteristics, and belief characteristics as the four components of professional ethics.Although this study has some semblance with the current research but somehow, the results have limited generalizability in the sense that it was conducted at a limited geographical level and is not the view of the entire community of teachers. Another limitation was on not measuring the current level of teachers’ professional ethics, which according to the researcher, lacked time and facilities. It was suggested however that the standard code of professional ethics should be implemented in the entire education system. In a further study by Borrico (2020), the work ethics of the effective instructors in Angeles City’s West District were examined. According to information, educators are expected to promote work ethics and serve as role models for their students. According to what was seen, teachers had ethical, moral, and professional qualities that were appropriate for their practice. They successfully identified concerns and found answers pertaining to moral dilemmas at work. Further, the teachers very satisfactorily demonstrated professional competence in their instructional practice. Having complied to the fundamental guidelines and ideas of work ethics, the teachers portrayed appropriate behavior to the students. This study has some semblance to the current research work as this focused on work ethics, however, they differ in scope as the latter used work ethics as a mediator variable of the study. The Magna Carta for Public School Teachers in the Philippines required the adoption of a Code of Ethics for Public School Teachers under Section 7 of R.A. 4670 and which emphasized accountability, appropriate conduct, and integrity (Bernal, 2020). R.A. has passed away. The Board of Professional Teachers of the Professional Regulation Commission enacted Resolution No. 435 s.1997 promulgating and adopting the Code of Ethics for Professional Teachers, also known as Philippine Teachers Professionalization Act of 1994 (RA 7836), in 1997. This is an enhanced version of the Magna Carta Code of Ethics that outlines expectations and principles for how educators should behave both within and outside of the classroom (Bernal, 2020). Work ethics is conceptualized by Goldman (2010), as cited by Sprigghr (2020), as a set of ethical principles that guide employees in their routinely task by maximizing their official time, prioritizing their jobs and having a strong sense of responsibility towards the accomplishment of institutional goals. According to Goldman, these are the indicators of work ethics, as follows: time management; productivity; accountability and responsibility, professionalism and dedication. Time management is described by Kouchaki & Smith (2020) as the set of ethical behavior involving prioritizing routinely tasks, maximizing one’s time well, and finishing task efficiently ahead of time. Moreover, in the workplace, teachers are expected to demonstrate punctuality and arrive in school on time or earlier. They maximize instructional time and achieves learning goals at the end of the instructional period. They work well within teams and never hold up the completion of projects. They are conscious of time constraints, hence, they look for ways and means to achieve tasks promptly as scheduled. Productivity as elaborated by Falcone, (2022) includes efficiency in which tasks and goals are completed by organizational members. Along this, teachers are expected to be productive and proactive in their assigned tasks. Further, Ngang & Chan (2015), opined that productivity is essentially completing goals in a timely manner. Productive persons avoid procrastination at all costs, won’t allow social media to disrupt their tasks, never engage in Facebook or mobile games during working hours and take adequate breaks to recharge their batteries so that they can spend the rest of their workday finishing their tasks on time. Furthermore, Nakato (2019) opined that teachers’ productivity is embedded in their individual system, they are well-organized and spend their work days getting as much as they can to ensure that all of their tasks are completed effectively and obtain a sense of fulfillment from work accomplished. Accountability and Responsibility is described by Ruff (2020) as taking ownership for one’s decisions, actions, performance, and behavior. Accountability in the workplace comprises of trust building and staying committed in doing the right things for the organization. According to De Farine, Onghena, & Van Damme (2020), Accountability is a moral principle., concerning suitable conduct, addressing the obligations of individuals in the organization. On the other hand, Mulgan (2020) opined that iIn the school organization, when a teacher https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajmri Pa ge 20 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajmri Am. J. Multidis. Res. Innov. 1(6) 13-29, 2022 demonstrates a sense of accountability in the assigned task, he/she does things at his/her level best, rarely would he/she fail at the activity or project he/she is charged with. When there is an ounce of failure, the ethical teacher would surely own the responsibility and immediately make innovations to check the mistake without finding fault at others. Professionalism is the hall mark of an ethical teacher, as premised by Amet (2020). Teachers who exhibit a high degree of emotional intelligence do not let their emotions overrule the hard work of their team. According to Hargreaves (2000), as cited by Sachs (2018), teacher professionalism has been extensively concerned as educational urgency as teachers are expected to maximize their instructional time and devote themselves to enhancing students’ academic performance. Further, as interpolated by Seo (2016), displaying professionalism means giving one’s peers respect and do whatever it takes to ensure that the team operations run smoothly. Exhibiting professionalism in the work place is one of the hallmark of an ethical teacher. Dedication, as expounded by Mulvahill (2018) is exhibited by teachers who are willing to go the extra mile to finish their projects, willingly volunteer and offer support to the team to help them complete the assigned tasks exhibit intense dedication and commitment. According to Mart (2018), dedicated teachers are distinguished by their commitment to achievement of their students. Dedicated teachers are concerned with the development of their students and they constantly find ways and means to address learning gaps. Additionally, committed instructors encourage their pupils’ curiosity and enthusiasm for learning. They are aware of their obligations to their charges and work hard to uphold them. The degree of dedication teachers has, toward their profession is one of their distinguished characters. Further, school heads frequently give their trust and confidence to teachers who are dedicated to their jobs. These teachers are recognized through the extra efforts they extend in doing their work, they willingly cooperate and collaborate with the team, and maximize their strength to the attainment of the institutional goals. As a synthesis, more than ever, the importance of professional ethics in school organizations has been concurred by numerous authors. This importance is due to the fact that work ethics served as pillar in socio-cultural development of the organization. According to Guhao and Quines (2021), both authors agreed that genuine leaders are aware of their own and others’ values and moral philosophies, as well as their own and others’ work ethics. They are also aware of the context in which they act, and they are positive, ambitious, optimistic, resilient, and possessing a strong moral nature. The school heads’ authentic leadership influence and motivate teachers work involvement, enhancing their task performance, as they willingly go the extra mile in enhancing their work ethics (Bakker & Demerouti, 2018, duly cited by Guhao and Quines (2021). Moreover, the school heads, authentic leadership may promote shared intent, interdependence of responsibilities paving way to efficient task performance of teacher in the organization, optimizing the value of work ethics, undermining personal interests for the benefit of organizational team. METHODOLOGY The descriptive correlation technique of research, which is intended to collect data, thoughts, facts, and information connected to the investigation, was used in this non-experimental quantitative design study. Non- experimental research involves data collection without modifications or treatment introduction (Gehle, 2013). In this study, neither the setting nor the factors were controlled. The descriptive-correlation study design explained and interpreted what is, as well as showed the circumstances and connections that were there. (Calmorin, 2007; Calderon, 2006). In addition, it is a fact- finding study that gave the researcher the chance to look into the experiences, behaviors, and features of study participants (Calmorin, 2007). Since the study evaluated the degrees of work ethics and authentic leadership of school administrators as well as the individual task performance of public elementary school teachers in Magsaysay South and North District, it is descriptive in nature. This study used the survey questionnaire as a technique to collect data and looked at the association between factors like work ethics, authentic leadership, and individual job performance. To describe the level of authentic leadership of school head according to the following indicators: self- awareness; relational transparency; internalized moral perspective; balanced processing. To ascertain the level of task performance of public school teachers along these indicators: Management of Content Knowledge and Pedagogy, Management of the Learning Environment, Management of Learners’ Diversity, Management of Curriculum and Planning, Management of Assessment and Reporting. To describe the level of work ethics among public school teachers along these indicators: time management; productivity; accountability and responsibility, professionalism and dedication. To determine the significance of the relationship between: authentic leadership of school heads and individual task performance of teachers; authentic leadership of school heads and work ethics and work ethics and individual task performance of teachers. The goal of the study is to better understand the connections between work ethics, authentic leadership, and individual task performance, as well as the role that work ethics plays as a mediating factor in the relationship between authentic leadership of school leaders and individual task performance of public elementary schools in the Magsaysay South and North District. The mediation was established using Medgraph. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Level of Authentic Leadership Shown in Table 1 is the level of authentic leadership. The https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajmri Pa ge 21 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajmri Am. J. Multidis. Res. Innov. 1(6) 13-29, 2022 standard deviation was less than 1.00 which means there is consistency of responses among respondents. The overall mean score was 4.07 labeled as high. Distinctively, the level of authentic leadership of school heads obtained a high rating of 4.18, specifically, on self-awareness; and lowest rating of 3.94 on balanced processing, described as high. Data revealed that the school heads demonstrated Table 1: Level of Authentic Leadership Indicators SD Mean Descriptive Level Self-awareness 0.527 4.18 High Internalized Moral Perspective 0.511 4.12 High Balanced Processing 0.582 3.94 High Relational Transparency 0.577 4.04 High Overall 0.483 4.07 High high authentic leadership in terms of self-awareness, internalized moral perspective, relational transparency, and balanced processing. In congruence to the perspective of George (2010), as cited by Semedo (2020), leaders who exhibit high authentic leadership value their own uniqueness and are consistent and transparent in all dealings. Authentic leaders are those who are not afraid of exposing one’s true self, are value-laden and ethical in all dealings. As exhibited by the school heads, they act with a purpose and aligns their tasks within the organization’s mission. Parallel to the insight of Duarte et al. (2021), authentic leaders possess sound situational awareness and use it as a powerful tool for leading the team. This means that they understand where their natural inclinations lie and utilize this knowledge to enhance those inclinations to propel the organization towards improved harmonious team endeavor. At DepEd, school heads satisfactorily exhibited authentic leadership skills, and they act out with diplomacy and tact in dealing with staff as they settle organizational disputes and conflicts. They believe in adopting ethical and socially responsible organizational practices. As viewed by Zeb et al. (2019), in the school organization, it is the responsibility of school heads to model moral uprightness, their ethical leadership is crucial in obtaining harmonious relationship. By internalizing authentic leadership in the workplace, school heads are respected, their decisions are valued, and organizational relationships are treasured. Level of Task Performance Shown in Table 2 is the level of Task Performance of teachers in Magsaysay South and North District. The overall mean score was 3.40 labeled high. Numerical data showed that the indicator on Management of the Content Knowledge and Pedagogy, obtained highest rating, which was 3.64, described as high; and Management of Curriculum and Planning, has the lowest rating, which was 3.08, described as moderate. The data implies that the level of Task Performance of Table 2: Level of Task Performance Indicators SD Mean Descriptive Level Management of Content Knowledge and Pedagogy 0.580 3.64 High Management of the Learning Environment 0.782 3.51 High Management of Learners’ Diversity 0.958 3.10 Moderate Management of Curriculum and Planning 0.890 3.08 Moderate Management of Assessment and Reporting 0.780 3.58 High Overall 0.326 3.40 High teachers in Magsaysay South and North District is high. This means that the teachers satisfactorily exhibited mastery of the subject content, adequately managed the learning environment; effectively managed the students’ assessment; sufficiently managed Learners’ Diversity; and efficiently managed curriculum and planning. According to Levy’s (2020) research, a teacher’s effectiveness is measured by how well they accomplish their teaching duties with high competence and effort, using strong pedagogical content that promotes student understanding and successful learning. Braun & Peus (2018) emphasized that to achieve this, teachers should be experts in their fields, Identify the traits of effective instruction., learn about the right pedagogies, understand the various learning styles of students, and identify their own teaching strengths and shortcomings in order to carry out their duties as teachers effectively. Level of Work Ethics Highlighted in Table 3 is the level of work ethics of public elementary school teachers in Magsaysay South and North District. The overall mean was 3.63 described as high. Breakdown of numerical data showed that the indicator on dedication obtained the highest rating which was rated 4.23, described as very high; while the indicator on accountability and responsibility, obtained the lowest rating, 3.08, described as moderate. The data implied that the level of work ethics of public https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajmri Pa ge 22 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajmri Am. J. Multidis. Res. Innov. 1(6) 13-29, 2022 Table 3: Level of Work Ethics Indicators SD Mean Descriptive Level Time Management 0.771 3.60 High Productivity 0.780 3.58 High Accountability and responsibility 0.890 3.08 Moderate Professionalism 0.788 3.65 High Dedication 0.552 4.23 Very High Overall 0.333 3.63 High elementary school teachers in Magsaysay South and North District is generally described as high. Consistent with the perspective of Swan (2016), work ethics is exhibited by the teaching staff as they focus on the importance of work as manifested by their determination to work diligently and productively. Parallel to the findings of Cerne et al. (2017) the teaching staff are expected to maximize their working hours, productive in the work place and exhibit professionalism in all dealings. As data showed the teacher-respondents displayed satisfactory work ethics as they consistently set a positive example to the students under their care. Teachers at DepEd are required to follow the code of ethical conduct and show professionalism in doing their job, maximize their time and in order to fulfill their objective of providing uncompromising education. In alignment to Harpaz & Fu’s (2020) observations, the work ethics of teachers comprise a set of purposeful actions done in proactive manner to achieve desired level of performance in cognizance with the acceptable norms and best practices of the school community. As further concurred by Cheng, Zhang, & Guo (2020), teachers who demonstrate moral uprightness in the work place are cautious and tactful in all dealings and are accountable and responsible in setting appropriate decorum in the work place. It can be concluded that with the numerical data, DepEd teachers did exhibit satisfactory time management; demonstrated productivity; exhibited accountability and responsibility at the workplace; and acted with utmost professionalism and dedication to the assigned job. Correlations between Authentic Leadership and Task Performance The test results of the correlation between task performance and authentic leadership are shown in Table 4. The association was tested at a 0.5 level of significance as per the hypothesis. The null hypothesis was disproved by the overall r-value of.509 and the 0.05 p-value. It implies that there is a strong connection between task performance and true leadership. This suggests that the school principal’s genuine leadership and task performance are related. Data implied that a significant relationship exists between the school heads’ authentic leadership and task performance. Similar to the findings of Gardner et.al, (2005) as cited by Farid, et al. (2020) that authentic leaders bring people together and align them around the organizational vision and mission. This was exhibited by the school heads at DepEd as they were able to develop self-awareness, internalized moral perspective, established relational transparency and engaged in balanced processing in all their dealings. All these are necessary in enhancing the task performance of teachers along the management of Content Knowledge and Pedagogy, the Learning Environment, Learners’ Diversity, Curriculum and Planning and Assessment and Reporting. In consonance with the concept of George (2010), as cited Table 4: Significance of the Relationship between the Authentic Leadership and Task Performance Authentic Leadership Task Performance Content Knowledge and Pedagogy Learning Environment Learners’ Diversity Curriculum and Planning Assessment and Reporting Overall Self-awareness .732* (0.000) .736* (0.000) -.456* (0.000) .732* (0.000) .736* (0.000) .440* (0.000) Internalized Moral Perspective .746* (0.000) .783* (0.000) -.468* (0.000) .746* (0.000) .783* (0.000) .463* (0.000) Balanced Processing .560* (0.000) .607* (0.000) -.296* (0.000) .560* (0.000) .607* (0.000) .400* (0.000) Relational Transparency .734* (0.000) .791* (0.000) -.434* (0.000) .734* (0.000) .791* (0.000) .487* (0.000) Overall .785* (0.000) .827* (0.000) -.466* (0.000) .785* (0.000) .827* (0.000) .509* (0.000) *Significant at 0.05 significance level. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajmri Pa ge 23 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajmri Am. J. Multidis. Res. Innov. 1(6) 13-29, 2022 by Semedo (2020) authentic leaders value their uniqueness, shows consistency and transparency in showing one’s ethical self. Authentic leaders are value-laden and ethical in all dealings. Further, George postulated that authentic leaders connect their passion with an outcome that aligns with the organization’s mission. With the findings herein, a positive correlation is established between authentic leadership of the school heads and the task performance of public school teachers. It can be concluded that the school heads possessed foresight, and stayed in control under all circumstances and were able to consider all available alternatives in problem solving. They satisfactorily displayed diplomacy and tact in dealing with the teaching staff, towards enhanced productivity. Correlation between Authentic Leadership and Work Ethics Reflected in Table 5 were the results of the test of relationship between authentic leadership and work ethics. As indicated in the table, the indicators of authentic leadership are positively correlated to work ethics with the overall r-value of .538 with a p-value of <0.05, therefore, indicated that the null hypothesis had been rejected. It means that there is a significant relationship between authentic leadership and work ethics. Table 5: Significance of the Relationship between the Authentic Leadership and Work Ethics Authentic Leadership Work Ethics Overall Self-awareness .574*(0.000) Internalized Moral Perspective .477*(0.000) Balanced Processing .393*(0.000) Relational Transparency .457*(0.000) Overall .538*(0.000) *Significant at 0.05 significance level. The result implied that the authentic leadership of school heads has a positive correlation with the work ethics of public school teachers. Parallel to the findings of Walumba, Wu & Orwa (2018), which indicated that authentic leaders put oneself as an example in promoting ethical behavior in their interactions and interactions with others at work. The influence of authentic leaders to the teaching staff is contagious, hence, productivity is enhanced. Additionally, Hao et al. (2020), elaborated that in the school organization, the school heads’ ethical leadership is crucial in obtaining harmonious relationship, because it is their responsibility to model moral uprightness. By internalizing moral perspective in the workplace, school heads are able to motivate the staff to demonstrate satisfactory work ethics in the workplace towards more productive team endeavors. Luthans, Norman, Avolio & Avey (2018) interposed that a leader who exhibit internalized moral perspective have an edge over the others. His authentic leadership enable him to create a positive ethical culture in the organization and encourage the teaching staff to model appropriate work ethics. At DepEd, school heads were able to demonstrate effective authentic leadership as they encouraged moral uprightness among the staff. The work ethics of teachers were strengthened as they offered mutual trust and cooperation in the school organization. Correlations between Work Ethics and Task Performance Shown in Table 6 were the results of the test of relationship between task performance and work ethics. As indicated in the hypothesis, the relationship was tested at 0.05 level of significance. The r-value is .713 with a p-value of <0.05. thus, signified the rejection of the null hypothesis. It means that there is a significant relationship between task performance and work ethics Table 6: Significance of the Relationship between the Work Ethics and Task Performance Work Ethics Task Performance Content Knowledge and Pedagogy Learning Environment Learners’ Diversity Curriculum and Planning Assessment and Reporting Overall Overall .669*(0.000) .585*(0.000) .045*(0.432) 585*(0.000) .582*(0.000) .713*(0.000) *Significant at 0.05 significance level. The data implied that a positive correlation existed between task performance and work ethics. This is in congruence to the perspective of Swan (2016) that when employees exhibit appropriate work ethics they are well motivated to work diligently and productively towards the accomplishment of their assigned tasks. Moreover, Christopher et al. (2018), postulated that employees who possess a strong work ethics The production of high- caliber task performance will invariably follow. Parallel to this insight, Davoodi & Bahadori (2016) pointed out that in the educational setting, the work ethics of teachers play a huge role in setting a positive example among other stakeholders. Educators are required to follow a code of ethical conduct and show https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajmri Pa ge 24 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajmri Am. J. Multidis. Res. Innov. 1(6) 13-29, 2022 professionalism in all dealings towards the attainment of assigned tasks. Further, teachers who consistently demonstrate good work ethics know how to prioritize tasks, manage their time well, and finish task efficiently ahead of time. They demonstrate punctuality and arrive in school on time or earlier. They maximize instructional time in the attainment of quality instructional performance. The passage of R.A The Philippine Teachers Professionalization Act of 1994, also known as Act 7836, establishes the Code of Ethics and expectations for how teachers should conduct themselves both inside and outside of the classroom. (teachercodes.unesco.org/ teachercodes/Philippines.). As observed in the findings of the study, the public school teachers have satisfactorily demonstrated work ethics in their respective schools towards high quality task performance. Additionally, Salleh (2018) premised that teachers who have strong sense of work ethics firmly holds oneself accountable for the assigned tasks and are dependable and can be relied upon. In the school organization, when a teacher demonstrates a sense of accountability in the assigned task, he/she does things at his/her level best, rarely would he/she fail at the activity or project he/she is charged with. When there is an ounce of failure, the ethical teacher would surely own the responsibility and immediately make innovations to achieve the assigned task. On the Mediating Effect of Work Ethics Shown in Table 6 is the path analysis on the mediating effect of work ethics on the relationship of authentic leadership of school heads and task performance. The data obtained in this table were results after conducting the SPSS AMOS. Table 7 : Mediating Effect : Path Analysis (Partial Mediation) Path Estimates SE C.R. P Unstandardized Standardized AL - WE .371 .538 .033 11.209 *** WE - TP .606 .619 .045 13.390 *** AL - TP .119 .176 .031 3.809 *** This Table presents the direct effect of authentic leadership on work ethics, work ethics on task performance and authentic leadership on task performance. Authentic Leadership and work ethics is the path a coefficient which has an unstandardized regression coefficient of .371, standardized regression coefficient of .538, SE of .033 and a probability value less than 0.05. Below the significance level of 0.05 implies that these two variables have a significant relationship and low or small standard error means that the estimate is more precise. Besides, the effect size or the impact of authentic leadership on work ethics is 37% which disavows completely the null hypothesis. Thus, the path b coefficient is work ethics and task performance which has an unstandardized regression coefficient of .606, standardized regression coefficient of .619, SE of .045 and a p-value less than 0.05 which means there is a strong conclusion to say that work ethics and task performance is 61%. And lastly, path c coefficient shows the effect size of authentic leadership on task performance. The data result has an unstandardized regression coefficient of .176; the computed standard error is .031 and a p-value less than 0.05 which is smaller than the significance alpha level 0.05 which means that it is significant. Mathematically, this supports the assumption that authentic leadership is associated with task performance. X =AUTHENTIC LEADERSHIP (AL) Y = TASK PERFORMANCE (TP) M= WORK ETHICS (WE) In addition, Figure 1 depicts the result of the mediating effect computation. It shows the effect size of path correlation coefficients of the three variables used in Figure 1: Regression Weights on The Mediating Effect of Work Ethics on the Relationship of Authentic Leadership and Task Performance this study. At the 0.05 level, the route analysis gave a p value of less than 0.05, which is significant. This suggest that work ethics has a substantial role in relationship between authentic leadership of school heads and task performance among public school teachers. Furthermore, at the conclusion of work ethics, the mediator variable, the causal association between authentic leadership of school heads and task performance has been lowered from a significant coefficient value of .509 to .12, which is still significant. The raw correlation between authentic leadership of school heads and task performance of teachers has a total impact of .509. the extent of the association between authentic leadership and task performance with work ethics included in the regression is represented by the direct effect value of .12. The https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajmri Pa ge 25 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajmri Am. J. Multidis. Res. Innov. 1(6) 13-29, 2022 indirect value of .226 represents the amount of original link between authentic leadership and task performance that has been transferred to work ethics. The formula is: (a*b), where “a” is the path between the independent and mediator variables, “b” denotes the path between the mediator and dependent variables. Divide the indirect effect by the total effect to get the ratio index; in this case, .226 divide .509 equals 0.444.About 44.4% of the overall influence of the independent variable on the dependent variable appears to be mediated by the mediator variable, while the remaining 55.6% appears to be either direct or mediated by factors not included in the model. Moreover, there are three steps to be met for a third variable to be acting as mediator, as pointed out by Baron and Kenny (1986), duly cited by Zeynivandnezhad (2020). In Table 7 there are categorized as Steps 1 to 3. Step 4 is the final step. In Step 1 (Path c) authentic leadership as the independent variable (IV) significantly predicts task performance. In like manner, the purpose of steps 1 to 3 is to establish that there are zero-order relationships among variable exist. And we can automatically conclude that mediation is not probable with no relationship variables basing the process of estimating relationship. Furthermore, if there is a significant relationship in step 1 to 3, one must proceed to step 4. Then in step 4 the combined effect of authentic leadership and task performance on work ethics is significant. As the matter of triangulation, further analysis of mediation effect using AMOS is warranted to assess the significance of the intervening variable. Moreover, if the effect of the IV and the DV becomes non-significant at the final steps in the analysis, full mediation will be achieved. This indicates that the mediating variable is a mediator of all effects. Only partial mediation is accomplished if the regression coefficient is significantly decreased but still significant at the last stage. This indicates that while some of the IV is mediated by the MV, other portions are either direct or mediated by other variables outside the scope of the model. In this instance, reducing MV greatly reduces the impact of the IV (authentic leadership) on the DV (task performance) (work ethics). Therefore, while the effect is still large, only partial mediation occurred. With the use of Baron and Kenny’s steps (as cited by Zeynivandnezhad, 2020) in testing mediation of work ethics, the researcher proved that mediation is significant and there is partial mediation. First, conduct a simper regression analysis with X predicting M to test for path a-the independent variable or X (authentic leadership) affects the mediator or M (work ethics) at beta coefficient of .37 with a SE of .23 and the relationship is significant at 0.05 significance level. Second, conduct a simple regression analysis with M predicting Y to test for the significance of path b- the mediating variable or M (work ethics) affect the dependent variable or D (task performance) at beta coefficient of .61, where work ethics god a residual error of .08 and the relationship is significant at 0.05 significance level. Third, conduct a simple regression analysis with X predicting Y to test for the significance of path c-the independent variable or X (authentic leadership) affects the dependent variable or Y (task performance) at beta coefficient of .12 where task performance has a residual error 2 of .05 and the relationship is significant at 0.05 significance level. Last but not least, after controlling the dependent variable or Y (task performance) as predicted by independent variable or X (authentic leadership) and including the mediating variable or M (job satisfaction) as a predictor of task performance it is regressed to .08. The alpha level is still significant at 0.05 significance level of authentic leadership and task performance resulted to the conclusion of partial mediation in this study. It can therefore be concluded that work ethics, which is the mediator variable, has a causal association between authentic leadership of school heads and task performance of teachers. As a learning insight, the researcher concurred the importance of school heads’ authentic leadership, as an enabler in motivating teachers to do their level best and follow the standards set by the Department of Education in effecting quality productive outcomes. Adopting ethical and socially responsible organizational practices paves way to greater productivity. Conversely, the work ethics of all employees comprising the school leaders and teachers is seen as the mediator towards the attainment of institutional vision, mission and goals. CONCLUSION Based on the findings, the following conclusions were drawn After the findings, the results revealed that work ethics mediates the relationship between the authentic leadership of school heads and the task performance of public school teachers. It can be explained that school heads who exhibit authentic leadership possess sound situational awareness and use it as a powerful tool in leading the teaching staff toward high-level task performance. This means that school heads understand where their natural inclinations lie and utilize this knowledge to enhance the staff ’s work ethics to propel the organization toward attaining institutional goals. Furthermore, the data disclosed that the level of authentic leadership of school heads is high. Similarly, the level of task performance of public school teachers in Magsaysay North and South Districts is high. Also, the level of work ethics of the respondents is high. Moreover, there is a significant relationship between authentic leadership and task performance. Conversely, data showed a substantial connection between authentic leadership and work ethics. Subsequently, work ethics, which is the mediator variable, has a causal association between the authentic leadership of school heads and the task performance of teachers. In addition, this present study substantiates the importance of work ethics as a determining factor in attaining the school’s vision, mission, and goals. Further, this study exhibited how authentic leadership can be a real influence for the teaching staff ’s improved task performance. https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajmri Pa ge 26 https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajmri Am. J. Multidis. Res. Innov. 1(6) 13-29, 2022 Moreover, this introspection confirmed various propositions of previous researchers, which explained that work ethics (Salleh, 2018; Shapira-Lishchinsky, 2018) is a mediating factor in school heads’ authentic leadership (Guhao Jr. and Quines, 2021; Farid et al., 2020 & Ribeiro, 2020) and teachers’ task performance (Osayamen et al., 2019) toward attaining successful programs, projects, and school activities. RECOMMENDATIONS After the findings, the following are recommended The study revealed that school heads were rated high in the varied domains of authentic leadership: self-awareness, internalized moral perspective, balanced processing, and relational transparency. Thus, the researcher humbly recommends to the Department of Education Senior officials recognize school heads’ meritorious performance. On the other hand, re-orientation training may be provided to the rest of the school heads on the essential facets of authentic leadership toward attaining institutional vision, mission, and goals. Moreover, the level of task performance of teachers in Magsaysay North and South Districts is generally described as high. This can be a basis for designing appropriate, relevant training for improving teachers’ productivity to ensure that teachers continuously adhere to the highest performance standard. Similarly, the level of work ethics of public elementary school teachers is generally described as high. Hence, it is suggested that School Learning Action Cell is regularly conducted every quarter to strengthen the teachers’ adherence to DepEd policies and organizational norms. By continuously facilitating the importance of adhering to the Code of Ethics, the teachers embed in their systems proper time management; ensure productivity; acknowledge accountability and responsibility; exhibit professionalism, and show dedication consistently. Conversely, school heads authentic leadership is correlated with task performance. Likewise, school heads’ authentic leadership connects with teachers’ work ethics. These findings suggest that school heads strengthen their authentic leadership to motivate teachers further to adhere to strict ethical standards at DepEd and improve their products according to the highest performance standards. Subsequently, data revealed that work ethics has a substantial role in the authentic leadership of school heads and the task performance of public school teachers. Hence, it can be concluded that work ethics, which is the mediator variable, has a causal association between the authentic leadership of school heads and the task performance of teachers. It is recommended that DepEd Senior Officials give premium importance to providing professional development activities such as training and seminars to strengthen DepEd Personnel’s work ethics further. Doing so paves the way for improved authentic leadership of school heads and higher-level task performance of teachers toward the attainment of quality education. Subsequently, future researchers may utilize the literature on authentic leadership, task performance, and work ethics as a reference to guide them on their research work and further validate and extend the present research work results. REFERENCES Alvesson, M., & Einola, K. (2019). Warning for excessive positivity: Authentic leadership and other traps in leadership studies. The Leadership Quarterly, 30, 383- 395. Ayeni, A. J. (2020). 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