Teacher Professional Creativity as a Mediator Between Competence, Local Wisdom, Morality, and Educational Quality: Evidence from Indonesian Elementary Schools

Abstract

 This study examines the relationships among teacher competence, local wisdom, morality, and educational quality, with teacher professional creativity serving as a mediating variable. A quantitative explanatory research design was employed involving 196 elementary school teachers in Makassar, Indonesia, selected using the Slovin formula. Data were collected through questionnaires and analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with AMOS. The findings indicate that teacher competence has no direct effect on educational quality, while local wisdom does not directly influence teacher professional creativity. However, morality significantly enhances both teacher professional creativity and educational quality. Furthermore, teacher professional creativity has a positive and significant effect on educational quality and mediates the relationships between competence, local wisdom, morality, and educational quality. These findings highlight that educational quality is strengthened not only by teachers' competencies and ethical values but also by their ability to transform these resources into innovative professional practices. The study contributes to educational management literature by integrating competence, local wisdom, morality, and professional creativity into a comprehensive framework for improving educational quality.