Research pick: Motivating remote teachers - "How does work motivation and emotional intelligence affect teacher competence in remote areas? A systematic review of the literature"

Research in the International Journal of Productivity and Quality Management has examined the educational challenges faced by Indonesia’s remote regions through a systematic review of the literature. The findings highlight how psychological factors, motivation and emotional intelligence, specifically, can improve teacher competence. The work focused on the Tojo Una-Una district of Central Sulawesi and shows how teacher development strategies might be more effectively tailored for geographically and socially isolated areas such as this.

In remote regions, the barriers to quality education are multifaceted. Teachers frequently have to contend with inadequate access to teaching materials, minimal opportunities for professional development, and a degree of professional and social isolation that is not commonly encountered in urban settings. Such challenges not only affect the performance but have a direct impact on what their students can achieve and so the broader development of the community.

In this context, the team has homed in on work motivation and emotional intelligence. Work motivation is defined as one’s drive to strive for excellence in a professional role. Motivated teachers tend to be more committed, proactive, and resilient in addressing challenges and adversity. Emotional intelligence refers to one’s capacity to recognise, understand, and manage one’s emotions and those of others. In the classroom, this translates into teachers who can handle stress more effectively, maintain positive relationships with students and colleagues, and foster a more supportive and empathetic learning environment.

Earlier studies have focused tended to focus on urban education, by turning to remote education and resource-poor settings, this work has linked work motivation and emotional intelligence in remote areas. Moreover, it has found that these two traits reinforce each other and so encouraging the development of each might improving teaching quality in a synergistic way, which could have implications for education policy in remote areas.

Idris, I., Bahasoan, A.N. and Wahdaniah, W. (2025) ‘How does work motivation and emotional intelligence affect teacher competence in remote areas? A systematic review of the literature’, Int. J. Productivity and Quality Management, Vol. 46, No. 5, pp.1–44.