Rethinking Academic Success in Relation to Teacher Competence, Learning Environment, and Motivation: What Are the Implications for a Posthumanist Research Agenda

This study examines the relationships between teacher professional competencies (TPC), conducive learning environment (CLE), intrinsic learning motivation (ILM), and academic success (SAS) in International Islamic Boarding Schools through a posthumanist lens. Structural equation modeling of data from 425 11th-grade students revealed that TPC significantly enhances ILM but doesn't directly impact SAS, while CLE directly influences both SAS and ILM. Furthermore, ILM directly affects SAS and mediates between CLE and SAS, but doesn't mediate between TPC and SAS. These findings challenge conventional educational frameworks by suggesting teaching competencies operate as distributed phenomena emerging through human-technology-environment networks rather than direct transmission, while physical spaces function as active pedagogical agents rather than passive containers. Beyond traditional implications for teacher development and supportive environments, the study proposes a posthumanist research agenda exploring how educational processes materialize through entanglements of human and non-human elements within Islamic boarding schools, potentially transforming conceptualizations of teaching and learning in contemporary socio-technical systems. This approach recognizes education as emerging through complex assemblages rather than purely human efforts, offering new directions for research and practice.