Building Quality Inclusive Schools through Transformational Leadership, School Culture, and Digitalization: An Empirical Study in Public Elementary Schools in Tugu District, Semarang City
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17977/um005v9i22025p292-302Keywords:
transformational leadership, school culture, digitalization, inclusive school quality, elementary educationAbstract
This study investigates the influence of transformational leadership, school culture, and digitalization on the quality of inclusive elementary schools in Tugu District, Semarang. As the foundation of national development, education requires not only knowledge transfer but also the cultivation of character and values. Despite being categorized as “Good,” most elementary schools in Tugu District have experienced a decline in learning quality, as indicated by the 2023 national assessment. Key challenges include teacher shortages, competency mismatches, excessive workloads, and limited understanding of the Merdeka Curriculum. Additional obstacles such as high administrative burdens and inadequate digital infrastructure further impede effective learning. Employing a quantitative, correlational explanatory approach, this study involved 120 teachers selected through proportional random sampling. Data were collected using validated and reliable Likert-scale questionnaires and analyzed with multiple linear regression. The results show that transformational leadership, positive school culture, and digitalization are each rated highly by teachers and have a significant positive impact on the quality of inclusive schools. Transformational leadership fosters vision and innovation, school culture promotes collaboration and achievement, while digitalization enhances access and adaptive learning. The findings highlight the importance of integrating these factors to improve inclusive education, ensuring equitable and adaptive learning environments for all students, including those with special needs.
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