Determinants of Teacher Motivation: The Roles of Work-life Balance, Teacher Well-Being, and School Culture

Abstract

Teacher motivation is a critical factor in sustaining teachers’ professional commitment and engagement in educational practices. This study examines the effects of work-life balance, teacher well-being, and school culture on teacher motivation among junior high school teachers in Kedungwuni District, Pekalongan Regency, Indonesia. A quantitative approach with an ex post facto design was employed. The study involved 121 teachers selected from a population of 177 using proportional simple random sampling. Data were collected through a five-point Likert-scale questionnaire and analyzed using multiple linear regression. The results revealed that work-life balance, teacher well-being, and school culture simultaneously had a significant effect on teacher motivation (F = 60.525, p < .001), explaining 60.8% of its variance (R² = .608). Partially, work-life balance had a significant negative effect on teacher motivation (β = −.166, p = .027), whereas teacher well-being showed a positive but statistically insignificant effect (β = .025, p = .793). School culture emerged as the strongest positive predictor of teacher motivation (β = .852, p < .001). These findings indicate that teacher motivation is shaped by a complex interplay of personal, psychological, and organizational factors, with school culture playing a particularly prominent role. Therefore, strengthening a supportive, collaborative, and professionally oriented school culture is essential for fostering sustainable teacher motivation while maintaining teachers’ work-life balance and well-being.