The Influence of Personal Communication and Principal Leadership on Teacher Performance Productivity at SMA Negeri 11 Medan

Abstract

This study analyses the influence of personal communication and principal leadership on teacher performance productivity at SMA Negeri 11 Medan. The research employed a quantitative ex post facto approach with total sampling of 72 respondents. Data were collected through a four-point Likert questionnaire, observation, and documentation. Construct validity was assessed using corrected item–total correlation (two items were dropped: PX2_11 and PY_12); reliability of each scale was acceptable (Cronbach’s Alpha 0.663–0.684). Analysis began with descriptive statistics and cross-tabulation, followed by multiple linear regression with classical assumption testing (normality, homoscedasticity, multicollinearity), all of which were satisfied. Findings indicate that personal communication and principal leadership had no significant effect on productivity, either partially (p = 0.093; p = 0.880) or simultaneously (p = 0.240). The low coefficient of determination (R² = 0.041) suggests that only 4.1% of the variance in productivity was explained by the two predictors, implying that other factors outside the model are more dominant. Practical implications highlight the need to shift towards instructional leadership, teaching feedback, and structural support for learning. Future studies are recommended to incorporate mediators or moderators (e.g., efficacy, job satisfaction, school culture) and objective performance indicators, as well as to consider multilevel designs or SEM to capture indirect pathways.