Transformational Leadership And School Innovation Culture On Teacher’s Digital Creativity: The Mediating Role Of Technological Self Efficacy In The Land Of Java Man Regency
Abstract
This study examines the empirical phenomenon of teachers' digital creativity disparities amidst rapid educational digital transformation, investigating the influence of transformational leadership and school innovation culture on teachers' digital creativity, mediated by technological self-efficacy. Employing an explanatory quantitative survey design, this cross-sectional study surveyed a saturated sample of 249 junior high school (SMP) teachers across 79 public and private schools in Sragen Regency (consisting of 166 MGMP subject-matter teacher administrators, 45 teachers from SMPN 1 Karangmalang, and 38 teachers from SMPN 4 Sragen). Data were gathered via structured 5-point Likert questionnaires and analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) on SmartPLS 4. The empirical results demonstrate that all direct and indirect hypotheses are supported (p < 0.05). Transformational leadership positively impacts teachers' digital creativity directly (β = 0.149, t = 2.485, p = 0.013) and through technological self-efficacy mediation (β = 0.149, t = 2.485, p = 0.013). School innovation culture exerts a stronger direct effect on digital creativity (β = 0.274, t = 3.657, p = 0.000) and indirect effect via technological self-efficacy (β = 0.274, t = 4.039, p = 0.000). Crucially, technological self-efficacy emerged as the most dominant determinant of teachers' digital creativity (t = 7.966, p = 0.000, f² = 0.557), acting as a complementary partial mediator. The structural model demonstrates robust predictive power (R² = 0.720, GoF = 0.692). Theoretically, these findings enrich Social Cognitive Theory and educational leadership paradigms. Practically, school leaders and education authorities must cultivate a collaborative climate and foster internal digital self-efficacy rather than relying solely on top-down administrative compliance.