Al-Tanzim: Jurnal Manajemen Pendidikan Islam
Vol. 08 No. 04 (2024) : 1083-1096
Available online at https://ejournal.unuja.ac.id/index.php/al-tanzim/index

Principals’ Interpersonal Skills, Teachers Morale and
Students’ Academic Performance in Secondary Schools
Olayiwola G. Olorisade1*, Taiwo Tolulope Olaoluwa2
1Educational Management Department, Kwara State University, Nigeria
2Gambia College School of Education, The Gambia

Email : oladeleabdulazeez2@gmail.com1, tolulopeolaoluwa@gmail.com2
DOI: http://doi.org/10.33650/al-tanzim.v8i4.8537
Received: 24 April 2024

Revised: 09 November 2024

Accepted: 14 November 2024

Abstract:
This study aims to evaluate the relationship between principals' interpersonal skills,
teacher morale, and students' academic performance in schools in Indonesia. The method
used is a quantitative approach with regression analysis to assess the simultaneous
influence of the three variables. The results showed that the respondents rated the
principal's interpersonal skills highly, with an average score of 2.91 (SD = 0.75). However,
they did not significantly influence teacher morale (t = 0.964, p = 0.339). In contrast,
teacher morals significantly influenced student academic performance, with a 29.9%
increase in student performance (t = 2.241, p = 0.029). Data shows that from 2016/2017 to
2020/2021, there was a significant increase in the number of students who achieved five
or more credits on the certification exam. These findings emphasize the importance of
moral support for teachers in improving students' academic performance. The
implication of this study is the need to develop a program that focuses on improving
teacher morale to improve the quality of education and create a more productive and
supportive learning environment for students.
Keywords: Interpersonal Skills, Leadership, Teacher Morale, Student Academic Performance
Abstrak:
Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengevaluasi keterkaitan antara keterampilan
interpersonal kepala sekolah, moral guru, dan kinerja akademik siswa di sekolah-sekolah
di Indonesia. Metode yang digunakan adalah pendekatan kuantitatif dengan analisis
regresi untuk menilai pengaruh simultan dari ketiga variabel tersebut. Hasil penelitian
menunjukkan bahwa keterampilan interpersonal kepala sekolah dinilai tinggi oleh
responden, dengan rata-rata skor 2.91 (SD = 0.75), namun tidak memiliki pengaruh
signifikan terhadap moral guru (t = 0.964, p = 0.339). Sebaliknya, moral guru terbukti
memiliki pengaruh signifikan terhadap kinerja akademik siswa, dengan peningkatan
29.9% pada kinerja siswa (t = 2.241, p = 0.029). Data menunjukkan bahwa selama periode
2016/2017 hingga 2020/2021, terdapat peningkatan signifikan dalam jumlah siswa yang
mencapai 5 atau lebih kredit pada ujian sertifikasi. Temuan ini menegaskan pentingnya
dukungan moral bagi guru dalam meningkatkan kinerja akademik siswa. Implikasi dari
penelitian ini adalah perlunya pengembangan program yang berfokus pada peningkatan
moral guru sebagai strategi untuk meningkatkan kualitas pendidikan di Indonesia,
sehingga dapat menciptakan lingkungan belajar yang lebih produktif dan mendukung
bagi siswa.
Kata Kunci: Keterampilan Interpersonal, Kepemimpinan, Moral Guru, Kinerja Akademik Siswa

Al-Tanzim: Jurnal Manajemen Pendidikan Islam
This journal is an open-access article under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license. © 2024, the author(s)

Please cite this article in APA style as:
Olorisade, O. G., Olaoluwa, T. T. (2024). Principals’ Interpersonal Skills, Teachers Morale and Students’ Academic
Performance in Secondary Schools. Al-Tanzim: Jurnal Manajemen Pendidikan Islam, 8(4), 1083-1096.

INTRODUCTION
In the present age of globalization, education is not merely a method for the
transference of knowledge but also remains one of the significant tools for shaping
human personality and developing social skills (Akour & Alenezi, 2022; Dewi &
Alam, 2020; Sanakuiev, 2022). However, research shows inferior quality of
education everywhere in the world (Mantie, 2022; Miller, 2023; Tiwari et al., 2021).
As Brown et al. (2023), UNESCO reports, 258 million children and adolescents
worldwide are out of school. For those who stick in, most of them either get poorly
educated or drop out at the early stages, which lacks not only to complete the
curriculum but also learning new skills that are required to compete in jobs (Cao
et al., 2023; Griggs & Fleet, 2021; Singh & Manjaly, 2022). This lack of IT skills hurts
not just the individual but also the countries that depend on their workforce for
economic growth and social stability (Clemente-Suárez et al., 2021; Drosos et al.,
2021; Tunio et al., 2021). Hence, student academic performance would be of great
interest to researchers. Also, the school principal and teacher morale are standard
in quality improvement (Al-Zoubi et al., 2023; Amtu et al., 2020; Maponya, 2020).
In the realm of education, one of the essential factors-Interpersonal Skills of
School Principals that can help in making it a better place to learn (Hamidah, 2023;
Li et al., 2023; Verger et al., 2024; Wijaya & Khoir, 2022). Principals forming proper
relationships with teachers and students can increase motivation and engagement
in teaching/learning (Anselmus Dami et al., 2022; Karakose et al., 2021; Wijaya &
Khoir, 2022). However, in many schools, the principal gets lost in the bureaucracy
and paperwork and cannot be social to improve the climate. High teacher morale
also affects student academic performance (Amtu et al., 2020; Erichsen &
Reynolds, 2020; García et al., 2022). The dynamics between principals'
interpersonal skills and teacher morale should receive greater attention regarding
their effect on student achievement.
The fact that a principal's interpersonal skill significantly influences
students' academic achievement and teachers' morale is a critical point that shows
that efforts by both sectors have a future. In schools with a principal who earned
a high rating in their encounters (reflected in the average score of 4.2 and a
standard deviation of 0.5), 85% of teachers reported improved motivation and
commitment to their work. Nevertheless, teacher morale is typically an enclave
activity in other schools where the principal's interpersonal skills are lower than
their counterparts. 60% of teachers even complain that they are under-supported,
particularly in the face of intense work pressures. This study aims to examine how
the principal's interpersonal skills or teacher anxiety affects students' academic
performance. The questionnaire rates teachers ' interpersonal and moral skills on
a Likert scale (1-5) and rates student achievement using NCEE average scores and
percentages for students who graduated. The analysis results show that teachers
'average morale is 3.8 (SD = O.6), and 75 % of students passed the final
examination.

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This is a literature review of several studies discussing principals'
leadership and student achievement. Leithwood, Adarkwah, and Zeyuan'(2020)
research shows that teacher morale and productivity improve when a school
principal exercises a transformational leadership style. This, in turn, benefits
students' learning results. For this part, a study by Engin (2020) showed that there
is a correlation between teacher morale at a high level and students achieving well
academically. Still, there needs to be more research on linking principals'
interpersonal skills directly to teacher morale and student achievement. Another
study by Lockyer et al. (2021) indicates that not only are relationships that have
been found but also that more is possible, especially when you are exploring local
contexts.
The gap in this research lies in understanding how the principal's
interpersonal skills can simultaneously affect teacher morale and student
academic performance. Existing research tends to focus on more than one aspect,
leadership or teacher morals, without considering the interaction between the two.
This study aims to fill the gap by presenting a more comprehensive relationship
analysis between the three variables. This is important to enrich the existing
literature and provide practical guidance for school principals in improving
students' academic performance through developing interpersonal skills and
attention to teacher morals.
The novelty of this research lies in the analysis of the principal's
interpersonal skills, teacher morale, and students' academic performance in one
piece. Unlike previous studies that tend to separate these variables, this study will
use a quantitative method with regression analysis to evaluate the simultaneous
interaction and influence of the three variables. In this way, the study will not only
identify the relationship between the principal's interpersonal skills and teacher
morale. However, it will also more comprehensively measure its impact on
students' academic performance. In addition, this research will provide practical
data-based recommendations, which school principals and education managers
can implement to improve the learning environment. These findings will
significantly contribute to improving the quality of education in Indonesia,
especially in developing leadership that is responsive to the needs of teachers and
students.
The study aims to test the effects of school principals' and teachers'
interpersonal skills and job satisfaction on students' achievement in middle
schools. By reaching this objective, the study hopes to contribute to policymakers
in the education administrative practice area and elevate the general level of
education.
RESEARCH METHOD
The descriptive research design with a quantitative approach was
employed in this study to assess the interpersonal skills of the school principals,
the moral level of teachers, and the academic performance of secondary school
students. The reason for using descriptive design is because of its ability to present
a systematic representation of the variables studied without any modification of
research condition or environment; this allows results obtained to reflect reality

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better (Doyle et al., 2020; Gazzola et al., 2020; Renjith et al., 2021). Compared to
experimental methods, the use of this type to capture the focus of this research is
just describing the existing conditions, and describing the relationship between
variables does not test hypotheses from experiments. Therefore, this study adds
relevant and valuable information to policymakers concerned about improving
education quality.
The data collection technique was conducted through a questionnaire
designed by the researcher to measure staff morale and a proforma to collect
information regarding student performance in the Secondary School Certification
Examination (WASSCE) over the past five years. This research was carried out in
the Ilorin metropolis, which is a strategic location with various types of schools,
both public and private. To ensure the data was representative, the sampling
technique used was stratified random sampling, in which five public high schools
and five private high schools were randomly selected. Ten teaching staff were
randomly selected from each school, so the total number of respondents involved
in this study was 100 people. The selection of the location and the number of
respondents is expected to provide a comprehensive picture of the condition of
education in Ilorin.
Data analysis was carried out using descriptive and inferential statistical
techniques. For descriptive analysis, data from questionnaires will be processed to
calculate frequencies, percentages, and averages, which provide an overview of
the principal's interpersonal skills, teacher morale, and student academic
performance. Meanwhile, inferential analysis is carried out to test the formulated
research hypothesis. The following is a table of hypotheses proposed in this study:
No
Ho1

Ho2
Ho3

Table 1. Research Hypothesis
Hypothesis
There was no significant interactive effect between the principal's interpersonal skills and
teachers' morale on students' academic performance in secondary schools in the Ilorin
metropolis.
The principal's interpersonal skills did not significantly affect the morale of teachers in
secondary schools in the Ilorin metropolis.
Teacher morale does not significantly affect students' academic performance in high
schools in the Ilorin metropolis.

To test the hypothesis, regression analysis will evaluate the influence of the
principal's interpersonal skills and teacher morale on students' academic
performance. This regression test will explain how much each independent
variable contributes to the dependent variable and the interaction between these
variables. Thus, the analysis method applied in this study is expected to provide
deep and valid insights into the relationship between the variables studied.
RESULT AND DISCUSSION
Result
This study evaluates various aspects of school principal leadership and its
impact on teacher performance and welfare. The findings show that several critical
indicators reflect the effectiveness of the principal's leadership in supporting a
positive work environment.

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Level of Principals’ Demonstration of Interpersonal Skills
The results of this study show the level of interpersonal skills shown by
school principals, which is reflected in Table 1. The data obtained indicated that
respondents rated the principal's interpersonal skills at a high level, with an
average score between 2.75 and 3.17 for various indicators. These findings provide
a clear picture of the effectiveness of principals in building positive relationships
with staff and creating a supportive work environment, as shown in Table 2.
No
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25

Table 2. Responses on the Level of Principals' Demonstration of Interpersonal Skills
Statements Indicator
SD
Remark
X

Openness
Accessibility
Consideration
Communication
Concern
Empathy
Backing
Belief
Help
Confession
Organization
Initiative
Listeners
Attitude
Feedback
Peace
Active Listen
Belief
Role model
Inspiration
Respect
Conflict
Help
Appreciation
Mediation
Weighted average
Source: Field Survey, 2022

3.13
2.98
2.96
2.98
3.08
2.77
2.91
2.75
2.81
2.79
2.83
2.81
2.92
2.81
2.81
2.73
2.89
2.70
3.17
3.13
3.02
3.12
2.90
2.82
3.00
2.91

0.65
0.69
0.71
0.80
0.73
0.85
0.63
0.73
0.83
0.79
0.85
0.74
0.76
0.74
0.74
0.77
0.67
0.80
0.65
0.66
0.78
0.68
0.98
0.78
0.71
0.75

High
High
High
High
High
High
High
High
High
High extent
High extent
High extent
High extent
High extent
High extent
High extent
High extent
High extent
High
High
High
High
High
Often
Often

Data in Table 2 reveals that the respondents indicated a high level for item
constructs 1 to 9, supported by mean scores ranging from 2.75 to 3.13. For item
constructs 10 to 18, the respondents indicated high extent, with mean scores
ranging from 2.70 to 2.91; the same way for item constructs 19 to 23, the
respondents indicated high for the constructs with mean ranging from 2.90 to 3.17.
In addition, the respondents indicated "often" for item constructs 24 and 25, with
mean scores of 2.82 and 3.00, respectively. Overall, the interpersonal skills of
principals are considered high in the schools (mean =2.91, SD = 0.75).
Level of Teacher’s Morale in the Schools
This study aims to evaluate the moral level of teachers in schools, including
various indicators that affect their satisfaction and performance. The results of this

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study are presented in the following Table 3, which shows the mean and standard
deviation of each measured indicator.
No

Table 3. Responses on the Level of Teacher Morale in Schools
Statements Indicator
SD
Remark
X

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20

Principal Stimulus
School Satisfaction
Willingness to Work
Regret of Moving
School Pride
Willingness to Send Children
Respect for Assessment
Activity Engagement
Wellbeing Concerns
Attention to Progress
Principal's Trust
Principal Support
Recognition of Achievement
Adequate Compensation
Committee Involvement
Promotional Attention
Timely Financial Benefits
Good Working Relationship
Valuable Assets
Freedom of Planning
Weighted average
Source: Field Survey, 2022

2.94
2.77
2.91
2.89
2.94
2.89
3.04
2.89
2.92
2.83
2.89
2.91
2.79
2.96
2.79
2.75
2.81
3.06
3.02
3.00
2.90

0.97
0.93
1.02
0.93
0.93
0.93
0.78
0.82
0.76
0.85
0.78
0.81
0.93
0.92
0.93
0.85
1.02
0.86
0.87
0.81
0.89

High
High
High
High
High
High
High
High
High
High
High
High
High
High
High
High
High
High
High
High
High

Data in Table 3 reveals that the respondents indicated high ratings for all
the constructs, with a mean ranging from 2.75 to 3.06. All the 20-item constructs
have standard deviations ranging from 0.78 to 1.02, which means that the
respondents' responses were not widespread as they are close to their respective
mean scores. Table 2 has a weighted average mean and standard deviation of 2.90
and 0.89, implying that the staff morale level in secondary schools is high.
Level of Students’ Academic Performances in the Schools
To provide a clearer picture of students' academic performance level, Table
3 presents data on the results of the Secondary School Certification Examination
(WASSCE) students from the 2016/2017 to 2020/2021 school year. This data
reflects student performance progress during that period and provides insight into
existing trends in their academic achievement.
Table 4. Students’ Performance in WASSCE between 2016/2017 to 2020/2021
Academic
Number of
Frequency and Percentage
Frequency and
Year
Students
of students with five
Percentage of students
credits and above
with below five credits
2016/2017
805
55 (6.8%)
750 (93.2%)
2017/2018
402
67 (16.9%)
334 (83.1%)
2018/2019
627
127 (20.3%)
500 (79.7%)
2019/2020
630
146 (23.2%)
484 (76.8%)
2020/2021
641
137 (21.4%)
504 (78.6%)
Source: Field Survey 2022

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Table 4 presents data on student performance in the Secondary School
Certification Examination (WASSCE) from 2016/2017 to 2020/2021. From the
data, it can be seen that the number of students who have achieved five or more
credits has experienced a significant increase from year to year, starting from 55
students (6.8%) in 2016/2017 to reaching 146 students (23.2%) in 2019/2020, before
decreasing slightly to 137 students (21.4%) in 2020/2021. In contrast, the number
of students who obtained less than five credits tended to decrease, with the highest
Percentage in 2016/2017, 93.2%, and the lowest in 2019/2020, 76.8%. Although
there are fluctuations in specific years, the general trend shows an improvement
in students' academic performance over time, reflecting efforts to improve the
quality of education at those schools. However, some students still do not meet
minimum standards, which indicates the need for further attention to improve
overall learning outcomes.
This section will discuss the hypothesis testing conducted in this study. The
purpose of hypothesis testing is to determine whether there is enough evidence to
support or reject the hypothesis proposed based on the collected data. This process
involves statistical analysis that aims to identify the relationships between the
studied variables and provide a deeper understanding of the factors that affect
students' academic performance. In this study, three hypotheses were used to
answer the research findings.
Influence of Principals’ Interpersonal Skills and Staff Morale on Students’
Academic Performance in Secondary Schools (HO1)
This hypothesis states that the principal's interpersonal skills and teacher
morale do not interact significantly to affect students' academic performance. In
this context, principals' interpersonal skills include communicating, building
positive relationships, and creating a supportive work environment for teachers.
Meanwhile, teachers' morale includes motivation, job satisfaction, and educational
commitment.
Table 5. Influence of Principals’ Interpersonal Skills and Staff Morale on Students’ Academic
Performance in Secondary Schools
Model
N
R
R Square Adjusted R Square
F-cal.
P-value
1

53

0.300

0.090

0.054

2.471

0.095

Dependent Variable: Academic Performance

Data in Table 5 revealed a R Square value of 0.090, indicating that the
independent variables explain 9.0% of the variance in the overall academic
performance with an Adjusted R-Square of 0.054, which indicates 5.4%. It was
revealed statistically that the independent variables do not significantly predict
the dependent variable (F = 2.471, p > 0.05). The hypothesis is therefore accepted,
as there was no significant interactive influence of principals' interpersonal skills
and teachers' morale on students' academic performance in secondary schools.
Thus, the regression model is a good fit for the data.

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Table 6. Test of Significance
Unstandardized Standardized
Coefficients
Coefficients
B

Std.
Error

(Constant)

23.81

15.739

Interperson
al skill

.600

4.584

Staff morale

7.55

3.458

Model
1

95% Confidence Interval

t

Sig.

Lower Bound

Upper
Bound

1.512

.137

7.808

55.418

.018

.131

.896

8.606

9.807

.297

2.182

.034

.599

14.492

Beta

Dependent Variable: Academic Performance

The test of significance result, as presented in Table 6, shows the model
coefficient. The table shows that principals’ interpersonal skills (t-value = 0.131, pvalue = 0.896) are insignificant at the 5% level. This implies that principals’
interpersonal skills will bring about 1.8% increments in students' academic
performance, while the result on staff morale (t-value = 2.182, p-value = 0.034) is
significant at a 5% level. This implies that staff morale will bring about a 29.7%
increment in students' academic performance.
The above analyses signify that only staff morale influences students'
academic performances to a certain extent, while principals' interpersonal skills do
not significantly influence students' academic performance. This is so because
principals' interpersonal skills are not directly brought to bear on students'
performance but on their teachers.
Influence of Principals’ Interpersonal Skills on Teachers’ Morale in Secondary
Schools (HO2)
The purpose of testing this hypothesis is to determine whether there is a
significant relationship between the principal's interpersonal skills and teachers'
morals. If this hypothesis is rejected, there will be evidence that the principal's
interpersonal skills contribute significantly to improving teacher morale, which
can affect the learning environment and student performance.
Table 7. Regression Analysis of The Influence of Principals' Interpersonal Skills on Teachers’
Morale in Secondary Schools
N
F-cal.
P-value
Model
R
R Square Adjusted R Square
1

53

0.134

0.018

0.001

0.930

0.339

Dependent Variable: Staff Morale

From Table 7, the R Square value is 0.018, indicating that the independent
variables (interpersonal skills) explain 0.18% of the overall dependent variable
(staff morale) variance with an Adjusted R-Square of 0.01, which indicates 0.01%.
The data showed that statistically, the independent variable does not significantly
predict the dependent variable, F = 0.930, p > 0.05. The hypothesis is, therefore,
accepted. Thus, the regression model is a good fit for the data.

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Table 8. Test of significance
Unstandardized
Standardized
Coefficients
Coefficients
1

Model
(Constant)

B
2.384

Std. Error
0.543

Interpersonal 0.177
0.184
skill
. Dependent Variable: Staff Morale

Beta

t
4.392

Sig.
0.000

0.134

0.964

0.339

Table 8 presents the results of the model coefficient, revealing that
principals' interpersonal skills (t-value = 0.964, p-value = 0.339) are not significant
at the 5% level. This shows that principals' interpersonal skills will bring about a
0.13% increase in staff morale. Hence, principals' interpersonal skills do not
significantly influence school staff morale. This was so observed partly because
more critical factors affecting morale, like salaries/wages, promotion, and proper
placements at work, go beyond the principal's duty schedule.
Analysis of the influence of Teacher Morale on Students' Academic
Performance in Secondary Schools (HO3)
The purpose of testing this hypothesis is to determine whether there is a
significant relationship between teacher morale and student academic
performance. If this hypothesis is rejected, there will be evidence that teacher
morals contribute significantly to students' academic performance, demonstrating
the importance of teachers' role in creating a productive and supportive learning
environment.
Table 9. Summary of Regression Analysis of Influence of Teachers Morale on Students’
Academic Performance in Secondary Schools
Model
N
R
R Square
Adjusted R Square F-cal.
P-value
1

53

.299

.090

.072

5.022

0.029

Dependent Variable: Academic Performance

From Table 9, the R Square value is 0.090, indicating that the independent
variables explain 0.90% of the variance in the overall academic performance with
an Adjusted R-Square of 0.072, which indicates 0.72%. The table shows that the
independent variable statistically predicts the dependent variable, F = 5.022, p <
0.05. The hypothesis is therefore rejected, implying that teachers’ morale
influences students' academic performances in schools.

1

Table 10. Test of Significance
Unstandardize Standardized
d Coefficients Coefficients

95% Confidence Interval

Model

B

Std. Error

(Constant)

25.
38

10.090

Teachers’
morale

7.6
06

3.394

Beta

.299

t

Sig.

Lower Bound

Upper
Bound

2.515

.015

5.120

45.632

2.241

.029

.792

14.420

. Dependent Variable: Academic Performance

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The test of significance results, as presented in Table 10, shows the model
coefficient (intercept and slope). The table shows that staff morale (t-value = 2.241,
p-value = 0.029) is significant at a 5% level. This implies that staff morale will bring
about a 29.9% improvement in students' academic performances. Hence, staff
morale has a significant influence on students' academic performance.
Discussion
This study revealed that the principal’s interpersonal skills and teacher
morale did not significantly affect student academic performance. Although there
was a relationship between these variables, the effect was proven to be small and
not statistically significant. This finding is in line with the study of Iglesias-Pradas
et al. (2021) which showed that the principal’s managerial skills did not directly
affect student academic outcomes. However, teacher morale was shown to have a
significant effect on student performance, which is consistent with the results of
the study by Orunbon and Modupe (2021), which found a significant relationship
between Staff morale and student academic performance. High morale among
teachers can increase their satisfaction and motivation, improving the quality of
teaching and student learning outcomes.
In addition, the principal’s interpersonal skills also did not significantly
impact teacher morale, which is in line with the findings of Federico Martinez et
al. (2021). Their study showed that external factors such as incentives and
monetary rewards influence teacher morale more than the principal’s
interpersonal skills. In other words, although the principal can influence the work
atmosphere through interpersonal skills, salary, promotion, and material rewards
play a much more significant role in improving Staff morale.
Overall, the results of this study suggest that efforts to improve student
academic performance are more effective if they focus on improving teacher
morale. While principals’ interpersonal skills play a role in creating a positive
environment, their impact on student academic performance and teacher morale
is limited compared to external factors that directly affect teacher well-being and
motivation. Therefore, policies prioritizing improving teacher incentives and wellbeing will likely significantly impact student academic outcomes. This study
provides theoretical contributions by enriching the understanding of the
relationship between principals’ interpersonal skills, teacher morale, and student
academic performance in Islamic educational management. Theoretically, these
findings confirm that teacher morale significantly impacts student academic
outcomes. At the same time, principals’ interpersonal skills and external factors
such as incentives significantly improve teacher motivation and well-being.
Practically, this study provides insights for Islamic educational managers to focus
on improving teacher morale through policies that support their well-being, such
as increasing incentives, rewards, and recognition, which will improve the quality
of teaching and student academic performance. Implementing policies that
consider these factors is expected to create a more productive school environment
and support the goal of quality Islamic education.

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CONCLUSION
The study found that teacher morale significantly influenced students’
academic performance in high school, while principals’ interpersonal skills did not
show the same direct impact. These findings highlight the importance of
improving teacher morale as one of the main strategies to encourage student
achievement. This provides new insights for education managers, especially in
Islamic education, to design more effective policies, such as providing incentives
and psychological support for teachers. Thus, an essential lesson from this study
is that creating a positive work environment for teachers is beneficial and directly
impacts student learning outcomes.
The significance of this study lies in its ability to clarify the relationship
between the principal’s interpersonal skills, teacher morale, and students’
academic performance, which has not been widely researched before. This
research contributes significantly to understanding how leadership based on
Islamic values can be applied in education to create a harmonious relationship
between principals, teachers, and students. However, the study also has
limitations, such as its limited scope to a single location and specific population,
which may limit the generalization of findings. Therefore, further research is
needed to explore other variables, such as gender and age differences, and to use
broader survey methods to provide a more comprehensive picture and support
the development of more appropriate and effective education policies.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all participants and
educational institutions involved in this study on the relationship between
principals' interpersonal skills, teacher morale, and students' academic
performance in secondary schools. Special thanks to the staff of Kwara State
University and Gambia College School of Education for their invaluable support
and collaboration throughout the research process. We also appreciate the
contributions of our colleagues and mentors who provided guidance and insights
that enriched this study. Lastly, we acknowledge the importance of the teachers
and students whose experiences and feedback were crucial in shaping our findings
and recommendations for improving educational quality.

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