Participatory Leadership in Madrasah Governance: A Case Study at an Islamic Junior Secondary School

Abstract

Participatory leadership in madrasah governance is increasingly relevant as the demands for transparency, accountability, and collaboration in the implementation of Islamic education increase. This study aims to describe and analyze participatory leadership practices in the governance of Madrasah Tsanawiyah with a focus on the mechanism of participation, the meaning of teachers, and the distribution of roles and responsibilities in leadership practices. The research uses a qualitative approach with a case study design. Data was collected through in-depth interviews, observations, and institutional document review involving madrasah heads, madrasah deputy heads, and teachers who are directly involved in madrasah management. Data analysis is carried out through the stages of data reduction, data presentation, and reflective conclusions. The results of the study show that participatory leadership is carried out through a deliberation mechanism as a formal space for teacher involvement in decision-making that functions to provide social legitimacy to madrasah policies, although the final decision authority remains with the leadership. Teachers' participation in academic deliberation and supervision is interpreted ambivalently as a dialogical professional development process as well as a source of professional pressure. In addition, the distribution of roles and responsibilities is understood as a form of trust and cooperation of the organization, but it also gives rise to role ambiguity due to the limited clarity of authority and resource support. Conceptually, these findings confirm that participatory leadership in the context of madrasas is more appropriately understood as a spectrum of dynamic and contextual social practices.