Visionary Leadership Styles of School Principals in the Era of Independent Learning: Challenges and Implementation Strategies

Sitti Habibah 1 Indonesia
1 Jurusan Administrasi Pendidikan, Fakultas Ilmu Pendidikan, Universitas Negeri Makassar
Link Copied!
Published 2025-12-08
Vol. 5 No. 1 (2025) PAGES 276-289
DOI 10.51574/ijrer.v5i1.4275
Views / Downloads 324 248

Under the Merdeka Belajar national policy, the high school principal implements a visionary leadership style. To implement Merdeka Belajar, school leaders must drive change, foster an adaptive educational vision, and innovate learning. The main issues are the discrepancy between the expectations of the Merdeka Belajar policy and the school's conventional managerial practices, as well as the challenges of mobilizing High School 3 Gowa's teaching and education staff to support this vision of change. This study aims to (1) describe the principal of the high school visionary leadership model within the Merdeka Belajar framework, (2) identify internal and external challenges to implementing this vision, and (3) formulate specific strategies the principal has used to overcome these challenges and encourage school transformation. This qualitative study adopts a single-case study strategy. In-depth interviews with the principal, vice principal, and teacher representatives; Merdeka Belajar implementation documentation; and direct observation of High School 3 Gowa activities collected data. This study found that the principal at High School 3 Gowa's visionary leadership style was realized through open collaboration, teacher autonomy in curriculum design, and digital technology to accelerate the vision. The key hurdles included senior instructors' initial opposition, insufficient resources for new training, and the need to improve digital literacy. A core change team (Agent of Change) and teacher coaching were the main implementation techniques. This study provides an empirical model and examples of best practices for visionary leadership at a specific educational unit level to help high school principals and Indonesian high school principals succeed with Merdeka Belajar.

Habibah, S. (2025). Visionary Leadership Styles of School Principals in the Era of Independent Learning: Challenges and Implementation Strategies. ETDC: Indonesian Journal of Research and Educational Review , 5(1), 276–289. https://doi.org/10.51574/ijrer.v5i1.4275
More Citation Formats
Download Citation

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.
  1. Acton, K. S. (2021). School leaders as change agents: do principals have the tools they need?. Management in Education, 35(1), 43-51. https://doi.org/10.1177/0892020620927415
  2. Alsharija, M., & Watters, J. J. (2021). Secondary school principals as change agents in Kuwait: Principals’ perspectives. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 49(6), 883-903. https://doi.org/10.1177/1741143220925090
  3. Amay, S., & Pakaya, I. I. (2025). Kepemimpinan Pembelajaran Kepala Sekolah Dalam Mengimplementasikan Merdeka Belajar. Student Journal of Educational Management, 101-113. https://doi.org/10.37411/sjem.v5i1.4301
  4. Beausaert, S., Froehlich, D. E., Riley, P., & Gallant, A. (2023). What about school principals’ well-being? The role of social capital. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 51(2), 405-421. https://doi.org/10.1177/1741143221991853
  5. Candrasari, R., Mayasari, N., Yulia, R., & Lake, F. (2023). Visionary leadership in education management: Leading toward optimal achievement in the era of independent learning. Indonesian Journal of Education (INJOE), 2(3), 451-467. http://felifa.net/index.php/INJOE/article/view/161
  6. Damayanti, D. P. (2025). Analisis Implementasi Kebijakan Merdeka Belajar Dalam Satuan Pendidikan Nonformal di Indonesia. JIIP-Jurnal Ilmiah Ilmu Pendidikan, 8(7), 7033-7043. https://doi.org/10.54371/jiip.v8i7.8232
  7. George, A. S. (2024). The symbiotic relationship between visionary and pragmatic leadership in propelling organizational success. Partners Universal International Innovation Journal, 2(3), 57-79. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.11411388
  8. Hadi, A., Marniati, M., Ngindana, R., Kurdi, M. S., Kurdi, M. S., & Fauziah, F. (2023). New paradigm of merdeka belajar curriculum in schools. Al-Ishlah: Jurnal Pendidikan, 15(2), 1497-1510. http://journal.staihubbulwathan.id/index.php/alishlah/article/view/3126
  9. Halimah, S., Nurwahidin, M., & Sari, S. R. (2025). Managing Independence in Curriculum Design to Optimize Differentiated Learning: A Systematic Review. Journal of Educational Management Research, 4(3), 1254-1267. https://doi.org/10.61987/jemr.v4i3.1221
  10. Hallinger, P., & Heck, R. H. (2010). Collaborative leadership and school improvement: Understanding the impact on school capacity and student learning. School leadership and management, 30(2), 95-110. https://doi.org/10.1080/13632431003663214
  11. Haq, H. (2024). Evaluation of the implementation of the merdeka belajar curriculum in secondary schools in the digital era. International Journal of Post Axial: Futuristic Teaching and Learning, 215-228. https://doi.org/10.59944/postaxial.v2i4.391
  12. Harizal, H., Marwan, M., Bahri, S., & Konadi, W. (2024). Kepemimpinan Visioner Kepala Sekolah, Budaya Kerja Dan Motivasi Berprestasi Guru Pengaruhnya Terhadap Kinerja Guru Sd Penggerak Di Kabupaten Aceh Barat. IndOmera, 5(10), 18-26. https://jurnal.uniki.ac.id/index.php/idm/article/view/399
  13. Haryanti, N., & Saerozi, I. (2024). Visionary Leadership Strategy to Enhance Teacher Creativity at Darul Hikmah Islamic Boarding School Tulungagung. Jurnal Pendidikan Dan Kewirausahaan, 12(3), 1309-1323. https://doi.org/10.47668/pkwu.v12i3.1748
  14. Hayati, N., & Abidin, Z. (2023). School Principal’s Strategy in Improving Students’ Non-Academic Achievement of State Elementary School in Jember. EDUCARE: Journal of Primary Education, 4(2), 175-188. https://doi.org/10.35719/educare.v4i2.257
  15. Hermawan, R., Anggraeni, R. D., Amar, M. Y., Kadir, A. R., & Hamid, N. (2024). The influence of visionary leadership on the success of organizational transformation. An-Nuha: Jurnal Sosial & Humaniora, 2(2), 100-108. https://doi.org/10.63005/annuha.v2i2.2.3
  16. Houghton, C., Murphy, K., Shaw, D., & Casey, D. (2015). Qualitative case study data analysis: An example from practice. Nurse researcher, 22(5). https://doi.org/10.7748/nr.22.5.8.e1307
  17. Hunaepi, H., & Suharta, I. (2024). Transforming education in Indonesia: The impact and challenges of the Merdeka belajar curriculum. Path of Science, 10(6), 5026-5039. https://doi.org/10.22178/pos.105-31
  18. Khaleel, N., Alhosani, M., & Duyar, I. (2021, April). The role of school principals in promoting inclusive schools: A teachers’ perspective. In frontiers in education (Vol. 6, p. 603241). Frontiers Media SA. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2021.603241
  19. Kouzes, J., & Posner, B. (2017). Who you are isn’t who you will be. Leader to Leader, 2017(83), 30-34. https://doi.org/10.1002/ltl.20273
  20. Li, H., Yi, H., Renn, O., & Li, J. (2024). The role of social capital in managing risks: a bibliometric analysis and literature review. Journal of risk research, 27(4), 500-523. https://doi.org/10.1080/13669877.2024.2360907
  21. Liliana, L., & Almuhajir, A. (2025). Visionary Leadership in the Transformation of Islamic Education in the Era of Disruption. JURNAL HURRIAH: Jurnal Evaluasi Pendidikan dan Penelitian, 6(2), 835-843. https://doi.org/10.56806/jh.v6i2.248
  22. Mas, S. R., & Zulystiawati, Z. (2022). Learning Leadership in the Implementation of Independent Learning in Effective Schools. Jurnal Pedagogi Dan Pembelajaran, 5(3), 384-393. https://doi.org/10.23887/jp2.v5i3.43390
  23. Massouti, A., Shaya, N., & Qareiny, S. M. A. (2024). Exploring the nexus between female school leaders' perceptions of distributed instructional leadership, socio-cultural dynamics, and student achievement in the Arab world. International Journal of Educational Research Open, 7, 100372. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedro.2024.100372
  24. Munawar, M. (2022). Merdeka Belajar. Jurnal Pedagogy, 15(2), 137-149. https://doi.org/10.63889/pedagogy.v15i2.144
  25. Pardosi, J., & Utari, T. I. (2022). Effective principal leadership behaviors to improve the teacher performance and the student achievement. F1000Research, 10, 465. https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.51549.2
  26. Pratiwi, W. R. (2025). Transforming Education with the" Merdeka Belajar Curriculum: Digging into Challenges and Crafting Effective Strategies in Rural Indonesia. ENGLISH FRANCA: Academic Journal of English Language and Education, 9(1 May), 111-128.
  27. Rahmalinda, P. Y., Azzahra, N., & Rifmasari, Y. (2025). Membangun Pendidikan Berkualitas Melalui Kepemimpinan Kepala Sekolah dan Penerapan Kurikulum Merdeka. Morfologi: Jurnal Ilmu Pendidikan, Bahasa, Sastra dan Budaya, 3(1), 243-268. https://doi.org/10.61132/morfologi.v3i1.1358
  28. Rakhmawati, S. G., Azzahro, S. N., Setiawati, L., & Khoerunnisa, L. (2024). Analisis Kepemimpinan Kepala Sekolah yang Ideal di Abad 21: Studi Literatur. Jurnal Kepemimpinan dan Pengurusan Sekolah, 9(2), 127-134. https://doi.org/10.34125/jkps.v9i2.445
  29. Rosadi, K. I., & Mun'amah, A. N. (2023). An Analysis of the Orientation of Achievement of National Education Goals through the Merdeka Belajar Policy in Indonesia. Zabags International Journal Of Education, 1(2), 43-51. https://doi.org/10.61233/zijed.v1i2.6
  30. Sain, Z. H., Aziz, A. L., & Agoi, M. A. (2024). Navigating Educational Challenges in Indonesia: Policy Recommendations for Future Success. Journal of Digital Learning and Distance Education, 3(4), 1038-1046. https://doi.org/10.56778/jdlde.v3i4.339
  31. Sanjani, M. A. F. (2024). The impact of school principals on graduate quality through character education initiatives. Journal of Educational Management Research, 3(1), 30-46. https://doi.org/10.61987/jemr.v3i1.347
  32. Saputra, D., Qawim, M. M., Hariyadi, A., & Utomo, S. (2023). Kepemimpinan kepala sekolah dalam menerapkan konsep Merdeka Belajar. Equity In Education Journal, 5(1), 14-22. https://e-journal.upr.ac.id/index.php/eej/article/view/8256
  33. Sulistyowati, C., & Wicaksono, L. (2025). Peran Kepemimpinan Kepala Sekolah dalam Implementasi Merdeka Belajar Di Tk Negeri Pembina Kecamatan Pontianak Selatan. JIIP-Jurnal Ilmiah Ilmu Pendidikan, 8(2), 1182-1189. http://www.jiip.stkipyapisdompu.ac.id/jiip/index.php/JIIP/article/view/6798
  34. Syakur, A. (2025). The leadership of madrasah principals as change agents in the educational management reform of the merdeka curriculum. Jurnal Ilmu Pendidikan dan Sains Islam Interdisipliner, 31-39. https://doi.org/10.59944/jipsi.v4i1.447
  35. Umami, S., & Wahyudi, K. (2025). Strategi Kepemimpinan Transformasional dalam Menghadapi Tantangan Kurikulum Merdeka Belajar di Sekolah. JIIP-Jurnal Ilmiah Ilmu Pendidikan, 8(3), 3550-3559. https://doi.org/10.54371/jiip.v8i3.7542
  36. Walid, A., Shodiq, J. F., & Mutmainnah, M. (2024). The Principal as a Catalyst for Change: Innovative Strategies to Improve the Quality of Senior High School Education. Innovative Pedagogy and Education Studies, 1(01), 21-28. https://e-journal.icmandalika.or.id/index.php/IPES/article/view/43
  37. Wang, C., Chen, X., Yu, T., Liu, Y., & Jing, Y. (2024). Education reform and change driven by digital technology: A bibliometric study from a global perspective. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 11(1), 1-17.
  38. Yalçınkaya, S., Dağlı, G., Altınay, F., Altınay, Z., & Kalkan, Ü. (2021). The effect of leadership styles and initiative behaviors of school principals on teacher motivation. Sustainability, 13(5), 2711.

Copyright (c) 2025 Sitti Habibah

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Similar Articles

<< < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 > >> 

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.

Dimensions Badge

Downloads

Downloads
Crossmark Badge
Crossmark Badge
Section
Articles
Keywords
Case Study High School Independent Learning Principal Visionary Leadership
Crossref
Scopus
Google Scholar
Europe PMC