Principal Leadership, School Climate, and Perceived School Productivity in Indonesian Vocational High Schools: Evidence from Solok Regency
Abstract
Vocational high schools require organizational conditions that support effective resource use, instructional quality, and outcomes aligned with the world of work, yet evidence on how leadership and school climate relate to teacher-perceived school productivity remains limited. This study examined the associations of principal leadership and school climate with perceived school productivity in state vocational high schools in Solok Regency, Indonesia. A cross-sectional correlational survey was conducted with 150 teachers selected from a population of 240 using proportional random sampling. Data were collected using five-point Likert questionnaires and analyzed with descriptive statistics, bivariate correlations, and multiple regression. Principal leadership was positively but weakly associated with perceived school productivity (r = .188, R² = .035, p = .021), as was school climate (r = .177, R² = .031, p = .031). In the joint model, principal leadership and school climate showed a statistically significant but weak association with perceived school productivity (R = .251, R² = .063, p = .008), leaving 93.7% of the observed variance unexplained by the two-predictor model. These findings support an association-based rather than causal interpretation. Principal leadership and school climate may be relevant components of broader school-management conditions, but their practical importance should be considered alongside teacher capacity, resources, organizational processes, student characteristics, and external partnerships. Future research should use longitudinal or multilevel designs and objective school-level productivity indicators.
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