The influence of principal's leadership, teacher competencies, academic supervisor, work motivation and job satisfaction on teachers' performance in secondary schools of the country of Gambia

As the saying goes ‘education is the key to success’. When the majority of a nation’s citizens are educated, development becomes rapid. This research aims to determine the influence of a principal’s leadership, teacher competencies, academic supervisor, work motivation and job satisfaction on teachers' performance. This study employed the quantitative approach. The survey method was used to collect information through a questionnaire with a Likert-type of 5 rating scales to analyze data. A total number of 125 respondents were involved in the study and they were randomly selected from the secondary schools in Regional Education Directorate I&II. Data were analyzed using multiple linear regression and the coefficient of determination test R^2. The results show that the principal's leadership, teacher competencies, academic supervisor, and job satisfaction have a positive and significant influence on teachers’ performance, while work motivation has no significant influence on teachers’ performance. To have effective teaching and learning in schools, good leadership is required to guide, manage and control people, property and issues affecting them with proper handling to achieve the set goals. The Principal's work can be complemented by the efforts of his vice principals and other senior teachers as supervisors to ensure that plans are properly implemented and objectives achieved. Supervision helps teachers know and improve their weak areas and strengthen their competencies to deliver accordingly, develop skills, and boost their performances. These activities may lead to good working conditions and a conducive environment for the staff to be motivated and satisfied with their job. This research will provide insights into factors that have significant influences on teachers' performance.


Introduction
The variables given in this study are developed variables used to measure the influence it has on teacher performance in Gambia's government secondary schools in regional education directorates 1 & 2 out of the 6 educational geographical zones or educational provinces in the country.There is an adage that no place can rise above the calibre of its professors.It implies that instructors play a vital part in enhancing and sustaining the standard of education and more importantly, in the lives of people to whom they transfer information.Pupils pass most quality hours in school and interact with teachers.Hence teachers have a direct influence on the learning process.It can be mentioned that the aforementioned are the main determinants of the quality and competencies of students.More often than not, teachers' function in education is beyond only imparting quality knowledge but also being an external parent, someone worthy of imitation, counsellor etc.This age necessitates high-quality human resources with creative behaviors and inventive performance who are prepared and equipped for competition (Tambrin et al., 2021).
The leadership of every school strives to recruit and retain highly committed and competent qualified teachers who are capable of producing good quality teachers and effective outcomes.This can only be successfully attained if teachers are satisfied with their occupation, advance their academic development/competencies level, and obtain proper administrative leadership/supervisors, and it will have a positive effect on their performance and outcomes.Education quality remains low due to teachers' poor performance in enhancing education quality (Margot & Kettler, 2019).This is because competence, motivation, and the atmosphere of learning do not promote the performance of teachers or educational quality (Chick et al., 2020).
It is widely acknowledged that there can be no quality learning without competent educators.As a result, raising the standard of education/learning is only possible by simultaneously boosting the quality of instructors.Increased teacher competency is required to improve educational quality.Among these, the government should continue to provide education and training, conferences, workshops, and curriculum help to enhance teacher training credentials by granting aid for teachers to further their studies.One of the most significant requirements for quality education is the presence of instructors and school leaders who are professional, prosperous, qualified, and dignified (Kaso et al., 2019).The teacher must have four competencies: Pedagogical skills, personality skills, professional competency, and social skills are all examples of competencies.One of the four competencies required of teachers is a description of their performance in fulfilling their responsibilities (Kristiawan et al., 2020).
To perform optimally, Schools must have instructive human resources, including educators and other personnel, according to the demand to improve education quality (Tambrin et al., 2021).Academic supervision is an important way to raise the standards of teacher teaching in classrooms.If academic supervision is used regularly, it will have an impact on expanding student learning outcomes and, without a doubt, the quality of learning and the school in question (Yulianti et al., 2021).The performance of workers is essential to improve in any organization.One method is through performance appraisal or management.Among the influences which may have an impact on teachers' performance is the academic supervision factor.In the opinion of (Muliati et al., n.d.), assessing the indicators of education's effectiveness in achieving greater human resources boosts the standard of knowledge, values, and abilities which are more flexible and independent in the daily functioning of society and the country with a national and international order.
Trained and qualified competent teachers are leaving the education sector in search of a greener pasture to be able to meet their essential needs due to the lack of proper motivation.Such has resulted in high teacher turnover over the years and still counting.Teachers' motivation is critical in improving teacher and student performance in the school setting.Adequate and consistent pay, promotion, in-service training, a conducive environment, teacher safety in schools, and a variety of other factors can all lead to increased teacher productivity in schools.All of these factors can influence teachers' productivity or effectiveness in the classroom.Among the elements that can have an impact on teacher performance is work motivation (Alfianita et al., 2022).
In the education sector, adequate resources, opportunities for personal development, adequate remuneration, security, and good working conditions are lacking, causing most ambitious teachers to be dissatisfied with their jobs.Job satisfaction is a significant factor that contributes to teachers' high productivity.The atmosphere for learning is not uplifting, and in certain cases, teaching is still carried out inside dilapidated buildings that have been built for so long, with no equipped laboratory or library for practical and research purposes.If the teacher is dissatisfied, a stiff, boring environment will be established, leading to low spirits (Ahiri et al., 2023).
The menace of academic failure among the young school graduates in Gambia has gazed both the government and stakeholders in the face.There are numerous complaints as well as remarks of interested parties that the norm of education is declining as a result of inadequate control in education concerning teacher hiring, enrollment of students, school monitoring, supervision and evaluation, conduct of examination, retaining of quality experienced teachers and a host of other issues.The academic failure among Gambian students in the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) over the years is a concern, and part of the blame is on teachers' performance.Education, according to the community, represents one of the most efficient methods of optimizing personnel resources (Kristiawan et al., 2020b)).The aforementioned are the main reasons that teacher performance should be improved in the country.
The goal of the research is to look into the effect and influence of principal leadership, teacher competencies, academic supervisor, work motivation, and job satisfaction on teachers' performance.The specific objective of this study is to: Identify the effect of the principal leadership on teachers' performance in schools.Explain the impacts of teacher competences on performance and achieving school goals.Analyze how academic supervisors affect teachers' performance.Discuss the influences of work motivation in boosting the morale of teachers and improving their performances.Study the impact of job satisfaction on teachers' performance.
The paper aims to answer the following question based on the study's objective: What are the influential factors of the performance of educators in secondary schools in Gambia?

Teachers Performance
Teacher effectiveness and academic excellence are goals that must be achieved.The term performance is derived from the word to perform, referring to the ability to carry out a desired task or work performance in accomplishing tasks in terms of both quality and quantity (Kristiawan et al., 2020a).Performance is defined as the outcome of a worker's labour, a method of management, or an entity as a whole, and the results of the work must be displayed in a concrete and measurable manner.(Normianti et al., 2019) define teacher performance as "the totality of the teacher's endeavours to achieve the learning process."The teacher is one component of the education process and must perform well to get the expected educational quality of institution graduates (Mulyana et al., 2021).A good performance achieves the expected goals correctly (Mahaputra et al., 2021).Education quality remains low due to teachers' poor performance in improving education quality (Margot & Kettler, 2019).This is because competence, motivation, and the learning environment are not supportive of teacher performance and educational quality (Chick et al., 2020).Many teachers' work standards stay beneath the current standard, not because of incapacity, but because of a lack of work culture and inadequate morale, which affects the decline in performance (Kristiawan et al., 2020a).
However, Teachers are considered to be performing well if they exhibit elements like higher teaching reliability and dedication obligations, mastery and creation of learning components, teaching discipline, and other responsibilities, creativity in lesson implementation, cooperation with all staff, the leadership of becoming a student role model, an appealing personality, honesty, and objectivity in guiding students, and a sense of responsibility.As a result, addressing the standard of teacher performance is indistinguishable from discussing the attainment of learning objectives (Tambrin et al., 2021).It is because teacher performance determines the program's success.Teachers with high competency (skills, knowledge, values and attitudes) are anticipated to have higher teacher performance and have a positive impact on student achievement.

Principal's Leadership
Leadership is the act of influencing other individuals in an organization by employing multiple techniques that were established to achieve goals by effectively and efficiently utilizing all available resources (Kristiawan et al., 2020b).A leader is an individual who possesses the abilities and strengths, notably extra talents in one subject matter to convince others to collaborate on specific tasks to achieve one or more goals (Ahyani & Fitriani, 2022).(Kristiawan et al., 2020a) stated, the principle constitutes among the factors that determine the key component in developing quality educational procedures and results and the success of any educational project.
A headteacher or principal is the most powerful leader in the school, determining its progress, and must have administrative skills, a high level of commitment, and flexibility in carrying out their duties (Kaso et al., 2019).Principals must be capable of working as educators, managers, administrators, and supervisors.The principal is an operational instructor with further duties to oversee a school where the process of education and learning occurs or a location where there is interaction between teachers who teach and students who receive instruction (Warman et al., 2021).School principals are required to improve the performance of their employees in addition to regulating and managing schools to ensure efficiency and effectiveness.The principal is an individual who is given the duty to develop and implement policies within an organization to achieve its objectives (Mahaputra et al., 2021).The principal is likewise responsible for encouraging staff to improve their performance, particularly in learning; in the event the principal is successful in motivating employees, excellent staff performance will result.
However, without the principal's role, particularly in motivating employees, there will be no optimal performance because employees believe they are not valued as employees (Mahaputra et al., 2021).He or she ought to devote adequate consideration to the demands and sentiments of those who work to maintain teacher performance (Kaso et al., 2019).Leadership heavily influences teacher performance to ensure the best educational experiences for students in schools, as well as to produce students who are superior and capable of competing with students from other schools.If a leader, in this case the principal, is unable to carry out his responsibilities, the teacher's performance will suffer, creating a culture of ignorance or indifference in the school.As a result, principal leadership is critical in school development, particularly in leading collective learning in schools through working together and informed reflection activities which are appropriate for the necessities of the school.The principal's role has evolved significantly, becoming more complex, and shifting to a visionary instructional leader (Warman et al., 2021).

Teacher Competences
Competence is the ability to perform tasks obtained through education and training following particular criteria and qualities associated with the tasks to be performed.Competency as a teacher is characterized as being capable of thoroughly mastering a subject, including mastery of instructional materials and approaches.According to (Kristiawan et al., 2020a), Competence is a unified concept that represents the examined potential, knowledge, skills, and attitudes of specific professions that could be realized through performance in specific professions.Evaluation tools for teachers' professional competences include broad and deep mastery of the material, students' understanding, and learning design (Sudirman et al., 2021).Development of human resources refers to procedures and initiatives undertaken as planned management efforts performed consistently to boost staff competence in human resource management studies via training, education, and advancement programs.To become a professional educator, you should have several competencies, like personality competence, pedagogic competence, professional competence, and social competence.Knowledge of educational insights or foundations, comprehension of students, development of syllabi, study design, application of educational and constructive learning, measurement of study results, and development of students to realize multiple skills are all examples of pedagogic competence, (Kaso et al., 2019).Personal competence is a personality trait characterized by being stable, mature, wise, and authoritative, as well as having an upright character that sets an excellent example for students and the larger community, assessing how people perform, and improving sustainably.Professional competency is being able to comprehend materials for learning widely and thoroughly, involving concepts, structures, and scientific/technology/art approaches that are overshadowed by teaching materials, instructional resources in the school educational program, conceptual connections among similar subjects, scientific principles applied in daily life, and professional abilities in an international setting yet safeguarding national culture and values.
Social competence is defined as the capacity of teachers to participate in a role in the community by, among other things, communicating verbally and in written form, functionally using technology for communication and information, and interacting effectively with students, colleagues, education staff, and guardians or parents of students, as well as socializing nicely with others in the vicinity (Karim et al., 2021).Communication competence is defined as a school administrator's ability to use different communication media and channels to efficiently deliver information to all parties involved and to obtain feedback when required (Owan & Agunwa, 2019).
Academic Supervisor (Kurniatie et al., 2022) defines supervision as school officials' efforts to motivate, select job growth and development for teachers, and revise academic objectives, teaching materials, methods of instruction, and assessments to guide teachers and other staff towards improving teaching.(Kurniatie et al., 2022) mentioned supervision as "a sequence of efforts to assist teachers in improving learning techniques and results, particularly through expert assistance offered by school administrators, inspectors and supervisors, and other coaches."The evidence demonstrates that the principal, as a supervisor, is still not entirely implementing supervision; supervision occurs one time per semester (Warman et al., 2021).Supervising has to become a norm in schools for it to be implemented sustainably without anyone feeling cheated or oppressed by its presence.Supervision aims to develop the education process as a whole, which implies that the aim is to foster the growth of the teaching profession by providing facilities that facilitate the learning process, increasing the quality of teachers' skill and knowledge, providing coaching and guidance in executing the syllabus, curriculum selection and use, instructional resources, techniques, and teaching methods for evaluation (Karim et al., 2021).Teaching supervision could be carried out in stages so that enhancements to the learning process are concentrated and rational (Warman et al., 2021).

Work Motivation
Among the variables that can impact teacher performance is work motivation (Alfianita et al., 2022).According to (Ahyani & Fitriani, 2022;Kurniatie et al., 2022), motivation is the process of initiating behavior, sustaining conduct progress, and conveying specific action behaviors.Motivation (needs, desires) thus motivates workers to behave.(Ahyani & Fitriani, 2022) defines motivation as an individual's drive and capacity to attain particular goals.Positive motivation can make teachers feel more valued, which will lead to improved performance (Sudirman et al., 2021).However, effective administration, specifically at the school level, is critical to teacher motivation.If the mechanisms that are established to handle and assist teachers are ineffective, teachers are likely to lose their sense of professional obligation and dedication (Mae Comighud & Jamio Arevalo, 2021).As a result, a teacher must stay current professionally, and personally, and be appropriately motivated in order to carry out his or her various tasks and obligation with productivity and effectiveness (Mae Comighud & Jamio Arevalo, 2021).Work motivation is closely related to performance.When a teacher is highly motivated at work, he will work optimally, utilizing his abilities and skills with enthusiasm.Work involvement will show evidence of work motivation.Those with high work motivation will participate more than those with minimal job motivation (Normianti et al., 2019).As stated by (Ahyani & Fitriani, 2022), Motivation is essential for a successful organization that wants to preserve strong work continuity.and help the company remain.According to data, teacher remuneration has declined in comparison to other professions with comparable educational qualifications, causing the profession to lose worth UNESCO, 2019b;World Bank, 2018.Other variables that contribute to low teacher motivation include a insufficient leadership support, inadequate accountability, poor living circumstances, and violence in schools World Bank, 2018; UNESCO, 2019b.As a result, the achievement of educational objectives is not entirely reliant on the availability of teaching programs.Motivation, management systems, education administration, and supervision are all required to support the program (Tambrin et al., 2021)

Job Satisfaction
Job satisfaction is an individual's attitude toward his job that is generated by his or her performance (internal) and is backed by external factors such as his job situation, job results, and the profession itself (Rinny et al., 2020).When the teacher is happy at work, an atmosphere of togetherness, responsibility, good communication, and high morale will be created, allowing for optimal learning.High teacher satisfaction will cause him to positively evaluate his work and may encourage him to make various efforts to properly carry out his duties.Teachers' job satisfaction is high in effective schools, and effective schools have high job satisfaction (zgenel and Topal, 2019).These three concepts can be said to feed off of each other in this context.It is possible to conclude that a high level of job satisfaction among teachers has a positive effect on how they perform, and that efficient teachers enhance the efficiency of their schools.(Novitasari et al., 2020), stated that the five dimensions of work represent the most important job characteristics where people have affective responses, namely the work itself, wages, promotion opportunities, supervision, and work colleagues.The five dimensions can be explained as follows: 1) the actual work.The degree that is involved in work gives people interesting tasks, chances to learn, and a change in attitude toward accepting duty; 2).Pay the amount of financial compensation gained and the level at which it is regarded as comparable to others within the organization; 3).Promotional opportunities.Opportunities to advance; 4).Supervision.Supervisors' capacity to give technical guidance and behavioral assistance; 5).Co-workers.Job satisfaction has positive and significant impact on workers' performance, as stated by (Rinny et al., 2020).

Theoretical and Conceptual Background
Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs is one important theory that has inspired this research.Maslow's need-based theory of motivation is the most popular and possibly the most cited of the content theories Maslow, 1970.This theory holds that a person has five basic needs: physiological, security, affiliation, esteem, and self-actualization.Food, pay, shelter, and clothing, as well as satisfactory and pleasant conditions of work, are illustrations of physiological needs.In Gambia, many teachers are considering ditching the profession for a better-paid job hence the salary paid is insufficient for their basic needs which is a result of the lack of motivation.Safety, equal treatment, protection from threats, and job stability are all examples of security needs.In recent years, teachers have encountered assault from the students they impart knowledge to resulting in dangerous injuries and the feeling of insecurity in their profession.Affiliation desires involve the desire to be accepted, valued, and an integral member of a group, which will in return increase the job satisfaction of teachers to improve their performance.Moreover, esteem needs comprise the desire to be acknowledged, honored, accomplished, self-sufficient, and independent.These include such as dignity, confidence and competence of teachers to increase performance.
The highest category of Maslow's need theory is self-actualization needs.Realizing one's highest potential or self-development are examples.Teachers, like every other worker, want to reach their maximum potential.They desire to have themselves fully developed so that they can perform their tasks more effectively.Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory is relevant to this investigation since teachers, like every other worker, have needs that must be met.This present investigation shares the same viewpoint on the significance of meeting a person's needs.In regards to Maslow's hierarchy of needs, the demands of the teacher should be met in this order, beginning with psychological needs and progressing to self-actualization.

Empirical Review and Hypothesis Development
The Effect of Principal's Leadership on Teachers' Performance According to Kartini et al., 2020, the principal's leadership have an impact on high school teachers' performance in sub rayon 06 Banyuasin, implying that a good head teacher's leadership can increase teacher performance.According to (Ahyani & Fitriani, 2022), their findings show that the principal's leadership style has a significant impact on the performance of State Vocational High School instructors in Banyuasin III province.(Suratman et al., 2020) stated that principal leadership have no significant effect on teacher performance at SMP Negeri 1 Sungai Lilin.The findings of this investigation are confirmed by prior research results (Ahyani & Fitriani, 2022), which show that principal leadership has no significant effect on teacher performance.However, many other researchers agree that a Principal's Leadership have a significant and positive effect on teachers' performance, according to studies conducted by: (Mahaputra et al., 2021) and (Kaso et al., 2019).

H1:
Principal Leadership has a positive and significant influence on teachers' performance in secondary schools.

The Effect of Competences on Teachers' Performance
Competencies have a positive impact on teachers' performance according to analysis.Each individual must take steps to project the image of a person who is aware of high achievement motivation and constantly strives to improve themselves to remain wealthy and compete as a whole person (Muliati et al., 2022).According to (Suharto Sitorus et al., 2020), the state of teacher ability is experiencing a decline in teacher quality at the macro level, causing schools to make a breakthrough in human resource development.According to the findings of a study conducted by (Owan & Agunwa, 2019), In the Calabar Education Region of Cross River State, principals' supervisory ability has a significant connection with teachers' work performance concerning delivery of instruction, presence in classes, note writing, and keeping records.This outcome signifies that teachers' work performance will rise in schools that have superior supervisory competence, and vice versa, in the areas of delivery of instruction, attending classes, note writing, and keeping records.Other research studies that supported the findings that Teacher Competences have a significant and positive impact on teacher performance include; (Karim et al., 2021) and (Suratman et al., 2020) H2: Teacher Competences have a positive and significant influence on teachers' performance in secondary schools.

Academic Supervisor's Effect on Teachers' Performance
If academic supervision is used on a regular basis, it will have an impact on increasing student learning achievement and will undoubtedly increase the quality and quality of education and the school in question because teachers are the primary instrument in fostering the production of superior and high-achieving students capable of competing in the academic field (Yulianti et al., 2021).According to (Lian et al., 2020) research study, the Correlational Coefficient and Determinant Coefficient (H1) reveals R-value of 0.994, indicating that the extent of the connection between academic supervision and teacher excellent teaching is 99.4%, placing it in the range of extremely strong H0: It is suspected that academic supervision does not influence how well teachers teach.Variable academic supervision, however, has a significant and positive impact on teachers' teaching quality in Pulau Rimau's state junior high schools.(Kurniatie et al., 2022) established that the findings of the study show that clinical supervision has an impact on the performance of a teacher.These findings support the hypothesis that clinical supervision improves the performance of Banyuasin III District government high school teachers.
H3: Academic Supervisor has a positive and significant influence on teachers' performance.

The Effect of Work Motivation on Teachers' Performance
According to the findings of the research study (Normianti et al., 2019), teacher work motivation is directly related to teacher performance.This is demonstrated by the path coefficient value of 0.894, indicating that there is a very strong relationship between teacher motivation and teacher performance at Labuan Amas Selatan Elementary School.(Mulyana et al., 2021) discovered that motivation has no impact on the performance of teachers.A rise in variable motivation does not result in a rise in teacher performance, and declines in variable motivation do not result in a decline in teacher performance.This study's findings match up with those of (Mulyana et al., 2021), who found that motivation had no significant effect on teacher performance.However, learning environment and motivation have a direct and significant positive and significant influence on teacher performance and teacher performance on education quality (Mulang, 2021).H4: Work Motivation has a positive and significant influence on teachers' performance.

The Effect of Job Satisfaction on Teachers' Performance
Teachers with a high level of job satisfaction, according to (Ahiri et al., 2023), will carry out their duties properly and with a full sense of responsibility.High job satisfaction motivates teachers to strive for behavior and work results that meet school standards and expectations, rather than simply carrying out routine tasks.According to some researchers, job satisfaction has a direct, positive, and significant effect on teacher performance (Ahiri et al., 2023).
H5: Job Satisfaction has a positive and significant influence on teachers, performance.

Research and Method
This study employed quantitative research methods and analyzed research data with the help of the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (IBM SPSS).This study looked at five independent variables (principal leadership, teacher competencies, academic supervisor, work motivation, and job satisfaction) as well as one dependent variable (teacher performance).
To get the respondents, a simple random sampling technique was used, with each participant having an equal chance of being chosen.The study used a 30-item questionnaire created by the researchers.The data collection technique used is a questionnaire and an interview to collect information from respondents.Based on a simple random sampling method, The questionnaire was made available online to both teachers and supervisors.One week was set aside for responding to the questionnaire.The instrument was created using research variables that were converted into indicators that could be identified and used as a reference in creating statements for respondents to answer.
The study's target population was teachers at Government High Schools in Gambia's Regional Education Directorates I and II, excluding grant-aided schools.Regional Education Directorate I and II have four and nineteen schools, respectively, with one hundred and forty-four and five hundred and fourteen teachers, for a total population of six hundred and fifty-eight (658) teachers (MoBSE, 2021).

Findings and Discussions
A questionnaire with 30 items from both the independent and dependent variables was used to collect data for this study.The researcher compares the independent variables principal leadership (X1), teacher competencies (X2), academic supervisor (X3), work motivation (X4), and job satisfaction (X5) to teachers' performance (Y).

Normality Test
The data normality test was performed in this investigation using the SPSS and was examined using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov (KS) test.The test results are shown below..200 c,d Given the results in Table 1, the significance value of Asymp demonstrates Sig.(2-tailed) obtained at a significance level of 0.200 > 0.05.As a result, hypothesis testing can be accomplished using parametric statistical analysis.

Coefficient of Determination Test (𝑅 2 )
The coefficient of determination measures how well the model explains the variation in the dependent variable.Per Table 2, the Adjusted R Square regression coefficient (determinant coefficient) from the result is 0.687, implying that the principal's leadership(X1), teacher competences(X2), academic supervisor(X3), work motivation(X4), job satisfaction(X5) possess a 68.7% influence on teachers' performance(Y) in the government high schools of regional education directorate I & II in Gambia, whereas the rest of the 31.3% is influenced by additional variables that are not part of this study.

Reliability Test and Validity Test
A validity test is performed in this study to ensure the validity and reliable data that can be reproduced.As a result, each item in the questionnaire is correlated to a total score, and the results are compared to a 5% significance level.
A Reliability Test is used to determine whether a tool can produce consistent results over time and whether it is trustworthy or dependable.This connection is expressed by the coefficient "r," and the value is required to be greater than 0.70 for all variables to be considered reliable, indicating that the question item is trustworthy.
The Validity Test for variables principal's leadership (X1), teacher competences (X2), academic supervisor (X3), work motivation (X4), job satisfaction (X5), and teachers' performance (Y) revealed that the r-calculate result is higher than the r-table result.The degree of freedom (Df) is 125 -2 = 123, with a significance level of 0.1757 at 0.05.This demonstrates that all of the question items on these variables have been declared valid.3, the Cronbach's alpha value is higher than 0.70, indicating that whole questions are reliable in this research

Multiple Linear Regression Test
Regression Analysis is employed to find the extent to which the influence of factors such as principal leadership (X1), teacher competences (X2), academic supervisor (X3), work motivation (X4), and job satisfaction (X5) on teacher performance (Y).Here is a table with the findings of multiple linear regression tests: It can be described using the regression equation in Table 4 above: i.
A constant of 0.207 indicates that if the principal's leadership (LED), teacher competences (COM), academic supervisor (SUP), work motivation (MOT), and job satisfaction (SAT) are all equal to zero, then the teacher performance is 0.207.ii.
Principal's leadership Coefficient (X1) = 0.169, implying that principal leadership (LED) has a positive influence so that if the leadership increases then performance improves as well when COM, SUP, MOT and SAT are all equal to zero.iii.
Teacher Competences (X2) coefficient = 0.373 indicating that teacher competences (COM) have a positive influence as a result of which competences increase then performance improves as well when LED, SUP, MOT and SAT are all equal to zero.iv.
Academic Supervisor (X3) coefficient = 0.294, indicating that academic supervisor (SUP) has a positive influence as the outcome of which supervision increases then performance improves as well when LED, COM, MOT and SAT are all equal to zero.v.
Work Motivation (X4) coefficient = 0.088, implying that there is a positive influence of work motivation (MOT) as a consequence of which motivation increases then performance improves as well when LED, COM, SUP and SAT are all equal to zero.vi.
Job satisfaction (X5) coefficient = 0.164, showing that job satisfaction (SAT) has a positive influence as an outcome of which satisfaction increases then performance improves as well when LED, COM, MOT and SUP are all equal to zero.

Discussions T-Test
The Influence of Principal's Leadership (X1) on Teacher Performance The provisions for deciding on the hypothesis are accepted or rejected, based on the value of t-count > t-table, or if the significance is < 0.05.Based on the findings of the first hypothesis test by the table of the SPSS "Coefficients" output in Table 4 above, it shows the principal's leadership variable (X1) has a positive and significant effect or influence on teachers' performance(Y).According to the test result obtained, the principal leadership has a calculated value of 0.019.The degree of freedom (df) is 120 (125-5) so that the t-table is 1.65765.The t-value is greater than the t-table value (2.377 > 1.65765), alongside a significant level of the variable of principal's leadership of 0.019, which is less than 0.05 (0.019 0.05).Thus, this result concludes that the hypothesis of Principal's Leadership (X1) is accepted, and there is a positive and significant influence of the principal's leadership variable (X1) on teachers' performance (Y).The principal must have good leadership skills to guide the staff of the school to achieve their goals through adherence to the law, education and school policies with maximum discipline.He or she has to be able devote attention to the demands and emotions of everyone he or she works in order to maintain teacher performance (Kaso et al., 2019).Safety needs, according to Maslow's hierarchy of needs.Safety or security needs refer to a person's desire to feel safe and secure in everything they do.It is motivated by the desire for law and order, as well as assurance from unpredictable and hazardous situations.Teachers nowadays do not feel safe which may lead to low performance.Recently in schools, there have been many clashes among teachers themselves and teachers versus students.A lack of good leadership may cause chaos and insecurity.For example, according to The Fatu Network online media in 2022, a student used a razor to assault a teacher which led him to sustain cuts around the upper part of the eye and some parts of the chest.They also reported that a similar incident occurred where a student reportedly assaulted his teacher with an iron leading to serious injuries.The top performance schools in Gambia have good leadership to manage both teaching staff and students strictly to rules, regulations and principles to achieve their objectives and vision but also to boost performance.The result of the study is in line with research conducted by: (Mahaputra et al., 2021); (Kaso et al., 2019); (Iqbal Fauzi et al., 2022), which indicates that leadership influences performance.

Influence of Teacher Competences (X2) on Teacher Performance
Referring to the regression output in the coefficients table section in Table 4 above, it is shown that the teacher competences variable (X2) has a positive and significant influence on teachers' performance (Y).By the test results obtained through the use of SPSS coefficients output, the teacher competences (X2) variable has a value of 0.000.The degree of freedom (df) is 120 (125-5) so that the t-table becomes 1.65765.The t-value is greater than the t-table value (4.554 > 1.65765), alongside a significant level of Teacher Competences variable 0.000 which is less than the significant level of 0.05 (0.000 < 0.05).It can be concluded that hypothesis X2 is accepted and there is a positive and significant influence of teacher competences on teachers' performance.Therefore, this indicates that Teacher competences (X2) have a positive and significant influence on teacher performance (Y).As defined by (Kristiawan et al., 2020a), Competence is a unified concept that portrays the evaluated prospective, understanding, abilities, and mindsets associated to given professions that could be realized through achievement when executing specific professions.Esteem needs, according to Maslow's hierarchy of needs.Esteem needs are related to a person's desire for recognition, status, and to be respected.Maslow classified it into two types: the need for respect from others, such as fame, prestige, and recognition, and the need for respect from oneself, such as dignity, confidence, competence, independence, and freedom.For example, schools with a high rate of teachers that have higher qualifications, attend education seminars, training, workshops, curriculum assistance, and experiences with a series of supervisory together with adherence to the school's principles and policies in Gambia performs better than the others.The outcome of this study supports the results of (Karim et al., 2021), who established a link between Teacher Professional Competence and Teacher Performance.Other research studies that supported the findings of Teacher Competences having a significant and positive impact on teachers' performance include; (Suratman et al., 2020).

Influence of Academic Supervisor (X3) on Teacher Performance
According to the Coefficients output in Table 4 above using the SPSS, it is displayed that academic supervisor (X3) has a positive and significant influence on teachers' performance (Y).The result of the coefficients output indicates that the academic supervisor (X3) variable has a significant value of 0.05 which is less than or equal to 0.05 (0.05 ≤ 0.05).The degree of freedom (df) is 120 (125-5) so that the table is 1.65765.It can be seen that the t-value is greater than the t-table which stands at 2.846 (2.846 > 1.65765).It can be concluded that the hypothesis of academic supervisor (X3) is accepted and there is a positive and significant influence of academic supervisor (X3) on teacher performance (Y).(Kurniatie et al., 2022) defines supervision as school authorities' efforts to assist teachers together with other staff members in strengthening teaching by encouraging, selecting job advancement and growth, and updating educational goals, resources for teaching, methodologies for instruction, and evaluations.As per (Kurniatie et al., 2022), Supervision is a set of efforts to assist teachers, specifically professional aid given by school administrators, inspectors and supervisors, as well as coaches to boost learning methodologies and positive outcomes.The Academic Supervisor will help to boost teachers' confidence in accordance with Maslow's esteem needs from oneself which is related to dignity, confidence, competence, independence, and freedom.For example, schools that implement a series of supervisory to help teachers improve and develop the learning procedures by providing the facilities that facilitate the learning process, improve the quality of teachers' skills and knowledge, and provide guidance in the form of curriculum implementation, use of teaching methods, and learning tools are more likely to perform better than those who are hesitant.This investigation result match with (Kurniatie et al., 2022) who established from their study's findings indicating that clinical supervision influences teacher performance.

Influence of Work Motivation (X4) on Teacher Performance
Referring to the coefficients output in Table 4 above, it shows work motivation (X4) has a positive effect on teachers' performance (Y).Work Motivation variable t-test has a calculated value of 1.162.The degree of freedom (df) is 120 (125-5) making the value of the t-table to be 1.65765, and the significant level of the variable work motivation (X4) is 0.247 which is greater than the significant value 0.05 (0.247 > 0.05) and it has a t-value 1.162 less than 1.65765 of the t-table (1.162 < 1.65765).Therefore, these results indicate that the hypothesis X4 is rejected.Due to that, there is no significant influence of work motivation on teacher performance according to this study.A rise in the variable motivation shall not result rises in teacher performance, and a decline in variable motivation shall not result decline in teacher performance.For example, some people enter the teaching field with no intention of staying for long or taking it as a career rather they would only use it as a stepping stone, or were the only option they could have at the time.For such people, no amount of motivation can be a main factor to increase performance and once there is an opportunity elsewhere, they would not hesitate to grab and leave the teaching field.If the desire is minimal, performance can't be increased and if the knowledge and skill are lacking, other forms of motivation may have no effect.(Ahyani & Fitriani, 2022)argued that motivation is an individual's desire and ability to accomplish particular goals.The result of this investigation is in line with research from (Mulyana et al., 2021) that Teachers' performance is unaffected by motivation.

Influence of Job Satisfaction (X5) on Teacher Performance
In accordance with Table 4 SPSS "Coefficients" result, it is shown that the Job Satisfaction (X5) variable has a positive and significant influence on Teachers' Performance(Y).According to the results, job satisfaction variable has a significance or calculated value of 0.031.The degree of freedom (df) is 120 (125-5) and the t-table value is 1.65765.The t-value is greater than the t-table value (2.181 > 1.65765), alongside a significant level of variable job satisfaction of 0.031 which is less than the significant level of 0.05 (0.031 < 0.05).Therefore, these results conclude that the hypothesis of job satisfaction (X5) is accepted, and there is a positive and significant influence on teachers' performance (Y).If the teacher is happy at work, an atmosphere of togetherness, responsibility, good communication, and high morale will be created, allowing for optimal learning.If the teacher is not satisfied, a stiff, boring atmosphere will be created, resulting in low morale (Ahiri et al., 2023).According to Maslow's Psychological need, it is the most essential thing a person needs to survive.They include water, food, shelter, clothing, health etc.Thus, if one is satisfied with their job, it means the basics of the mentioned are achieved and there may not be too much of worries that will lead to focus with zeal to improve performance.For example, if a teacher is satisfied with the working conditions and loves the job itself, satisfied with the wages, having promotion opportunities, a good supervisor and work colleagues, he/she will keep trying his/her best to raise performance.The result of this investigation is the results of studies conducted by (Iqbal Fauzi et al., 2022) which indicates that job satisfaction affects performance.

Conclusion
The following conclusions are reached based on the data analysis and hypothesis test outcomes of this research; Principal leadership has a positive and significant influence on teachers' performance in government high schools in Gambia's regional education directorate I&II, implying that good principal leadership will improve teachers' performance.There is a significant and positive influence of teacher competences on teachers' performance in government high schools in regions I & II of Gambia, meaning if teachers' competences increase, the teachers' performance also rises.There is a significant and positive influence of academic supervisors on teachers' performance in government high schools in regions I & II of Gambia.There is no significant influence of work motivation on teachers' performance in government high schools in regions I & II of Gambia, meaning a rise in motivation will not be followed by rises in teachers' performance and a decline in variable motivation will not followed by a decline in teachers' Performance.Finally, there is significant and positive influence of job satisfaction on teachers' performance in government high schools in regions I & II of Gambia.
This research was limited to government high schools in the Regional Education Directorate I & II of Gambia.The implication is that all the variables teacher competencies, academic supervision and principal leadership should keep improving to increase teachers' performance and quality education.I recommend future researchers to widen their research on all schools, being it government, government-aided, private and Madrassas on the factors that influence teachers' performance in high schools, most especially, Motivation

Figure 1 :
Figure 1: Research Framework The indicators for Teacher Performance are; punctuality & regularity, duties, discipline & commitment, mentorship, and mastery of subject.Indicators for Principal Leadership are; collaboration, assistance, work culture, managerial, and visionary.For Teacher Competences indicators are; qualification, class management, mastery of subject, personnel development, and consistency.The indicators for the Academic Supervisor are; series of support, monitoring, curriculum implementation, quality of teaching, and evaluation.Motivation indicators are; appropriate rewards, value, desire & response, opportunities, and support.Job satisfaction indicators are; training & promotion, commitment & productivity, choice, satisfaction, and nature of work.

Table 1 :
Normality Test Results

Table 2 :
Coefficient of Determination Test Results

Table 3 :
Reliability Test Results

Table 4 :
Multiple Linear Regression Analysis Results