Leading the Future: Transformational Leadership in the Age of Deep Learning

DOI

10.2991/978-2-38476-587-4_6How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Deep Learning in Education; Kurikulum Merdeka; Qualitative Case Study; School Leadership; Transformational Leadership

Abstract

The transformation of 21st-century education requires school leaders to adopt responsive, innovative, and contextually relevant leadership models. This study examines how principals implement transformational leadership to support deep learning in junior high schools in Banyumas Regency, Indonesia. Drawing on Bass and Avolio’s framework and social constructivist learning theory, this research is exploratory qualitative case study design. Semi-structured interview, participant observation, and document analysis were used to collect data. Ten informants from four public and private schools implementing the Merdeka Curriculum participated in the study. Thematic analysis produced three key themes: strengthening a shared vision for 21st-century learning, empowering teachers through reflective and collaborative practices, and addressing structural and cultural barriers that limit innovation. The findings indicate that transformational leadership substantially contributes to building a school culture that supports deep learning, particularly through shared vision formation and continuous teacher mentoring. This study is significant because it contextualizes transformational leadership within rural Indonesian schools, addressing a gap in the literature that is dominated by quantitative studies and urban contexts. Practically, the study provides insights for principals, policymakers, and teacher development programs to enhance pedagogical transformation.

Copyright

© 2026 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Efi Miftah Faridli
AU  - Sabar Narimo
AU  - Harun Joko Prayitno
AU  - Endang Fauziati
AU  - Ahmad Muhibbin
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/06/12
TI  - Leading the Future: Transformational Leadership in the Age of Deep Learning
BT  - Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on English Studies in Indonesia (ICONESIA 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 46
EP  - 57
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-587-4_6
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-587-4_6
ID  - Faridli2026
ER  -