A PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY ON TEACHERS’ WORK MOTIVATION IN ENHANCING PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCE AT SMAN 2 RIMBA MELINTANG

Abstract

This study explores teachers’ work motivation as a foundational element in enhancing professional competence. Employing a qualitative approach with a phenomenological design, the research investigates how teachers interpret, experience, and internalize work motivation and how such motivation contributes to the development of their professional competence. The participants consisted of six senior high school teachers from different subject areas, including Mathematics, Chemistry, History, English, Informatics, and Indonesian Language. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, classroom observations, and document analysis, and were analyzed thematically to identify the essence of teachers’ lived experiences. The findings reveal that teachers perceive work motivation primarily as an intrinsic drive rooted in moral responsibility, self-actualization, professional commitment, and satisfaction derived from students’ success. Extrinsic factors, such as school leadership support, collegial collaboration, recognition, and adequate learning facilities, function as reinforcing elements that sustain motivation. The study further demonstrates that strong work motivation significantly encourages teachers to engage in continuous professional development, improve instructional strategies, enhance subject-matter mastery, and utilize educational technology effectively. Overall, the study concludes that teacher work motivation serves as a crucial foundation for sustainable professional competence and underscores the importance of strengthening both intrinsic and extrinsic motivational factors to improve educational quality.