THE ROLE OF PRINCIPAL TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP IN ENCOURAGING TEACHING INNOVATION OF ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEACHERS

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the role of principals' transformational leadership in encouraging elementary school teachers' teaching innovation. The primary focus is on how the dimensions of transformational leadership idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration contribute to the development of teacher creativity in classroom learning practices. The research method used was a mixed methods approach with a sequential explanatory design. Quantitative data were collected through questionnaires from a number of elementary school teachers, followed by in-depth interviews and observations as qualitative data to enrich the interpretation of the results. The quantitative analysis used simple linear regression, while the qualitative data were analyzed thematically. The results indicate that principals' transformational leadership has a positive effect on teachers' innovative teaching behavior. The intellectual stimulation dimension proved to be the most dominant in encouraging teachers to try new learning approaches. However, the qualitative results indicate that the implementation of teacher innovation still faces obstacles, such as limited practical training, minimal facilities, and uneven support across schools. The implications of this study emphasize the importance of principals providing more consistent moral and material support, as well as facilitating teachers with ongoing training programs. The limitations of this study lie in the limited sample size in a specific region, so generalizations still require caution. The originality of this research lies in the integration of transformational leadership analysis with the context of elementary school teacher teaching innovation, a topic rarely studied simultaneously, especially within a blended approach.