Managing Teacher Competency Development to Enhance Students’ Mental Health

Abstract

This study critically examines the implementation of POAC (Planning, Organizing, Actuating, Controlling) management functions in developing teacher competencies to promote student mental health in two Islamic integrated primary schools in Garut, Indonesia: SDIT Atikah Musaddadiyah Al-Wasilah and SDIT Al-Furqon. The research focuses on understanding how spiritual-reflective and data-driven managerial paradigms shape program design, organizational mechanisms, supervisory practices, and evaluation systems that directly influence teachers’ emotional readiness, pedagogical competence, and overall capacity to support student well-being. Utilizing a qualitative comparative case study design, the study integrates in-depth interviews, extended classroom observations, document analysis, and multi-source triangulation to produce a comprehensive and contextually grounded interpretation. The research encompasses key stakeholders—school leaders, curriculum coordinators, senior and regular teachers, students, and parents. Findings reveal that SDIT Atikah prioritizes the cultivation of spiritual values, emotional sensitivity, and relational warmth through reflective and value-oriented professional development. In contrast, SDIT Al-Furqon emphasizes data-informed planning, procedural rigor, and standardized evaluation to enhance teachers’ technical competence in delivering social-emotional learning. Both approaches demonstrate efficacy through different pathways: Atikah strengthens teachers’ affective and spiritual capacities, while Al-Furqon enhances their analytical and technical abilities. Major challenges include uneven teacher capacity, administrative burden, limited access to validated mental health instruments, and inconsistencies in program execution. Practical implications highlight the need for a hybrid POAC-based management model that integrates spiritual presence with data-driven accountability to optimize teacher development in Islamic educational settings.