ABSTRACT

Purpose: In Indonesia, particularly in remote regions such as Papua and Maluku, academic supervision has become a strategic approach to enhancing teacher competence. The persistent gap in teacher quality between urban and remote areas highlights the need for a deeper understanding of contextual factors that influence professional growth. This study aims to examine the direct and indirect effects of academic supervision on teacher competence, with a specific focus on the moderating role of achievement motivation. Methodology: A quantitative research design grounded in the positivist paradigm was employed. Data were collected from 95 high school teachers in Jayapura and Ambon through a structured questionnaire. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to analyze the relationships among academic supervision, teacher competence, and achievement motivation, including moderation and mediation effects. Findings: The results showed that academic supervision significantly enhanced teacher competence (β = 0.355, p < 0.05). Achievement motivation not only strengthened this relationship but also partially mediated it (indirect effect = 0.097, p < 0.05). Teachers with higher levels of achievement motivation were more responsive to supervision and exhibited greater improvements in competence. Model fit indices, including SRMR (0.072) and NFI (0.904), indicated that the proposed model is robust and well-fitting. Implications for Research and Practice: The findings underscore the importance of integrating motivational elements into supervision models to improve teacher quality, particularly in underserved areas. Policymakers and school administrators should design supervision frameworks that are responsive to teachers' motivational profiles, enabling targeted and sustainable professional development. Future research should expand the sample and explore other moderating factors to enhance generalizability and comprehensiveness.