Transformational Leadership of Tuan Guru: A Local Wisdom Approach to Preventing Bullying in Pesantren

Satriah Satriah; Prosmala Hadisaputra

doi:10.35445/alishlah.v17i3.7494

Transformational Leadership of Tuan Guru: A Local Wisdom Approach to Preventing Bullying in Pesantren

Satriah Satriah, Prosmala Hadisaputra

Abstract

Bullying in Islamic boarding schools (pesantren) poses serious psychological, social, and academic risks for students. Despite their strong moral frameworks, pesantren remain vulnerable to hierarchical practices that can perpetuate bullying. Transformational leadership grounded in local wisdom offers a potential strategy for fostering a safe and supportive environment. This study explored the transformational leadership strategies of the tuan guru at Pondok Pesantren Selaparang, West Lombok, in preventing bullying. A qualitative case study design was employed, using in-depth interviews, observations, and document analysis. Eight key informants—including the tuan guru, madrasa head, dormitory supervisor, teachers, students, and parents—provided diverse perspectives on leadership practices within the pesantren. Findings reveal that the tuan guru integrates Sasak local wisdom, including gotong royong (mutual cooperation), tolerance, and traditional practices such as Rowah, Nyunatan, Khataman, Nyongkolan, and Sorong Serah Aji Krama. These practices foster solidarity, mutual respect, and social harmony among students. Senior-junior mentoring systems strengthen supportive relationships and instil social responsibility, while a restorative approach to conflict resolution focuses on repairing relationships rather than punitive measures. Parental and community involvement further reinforces moral values beyond the school environment. The study highlights a culturally grounded transformational leadership model that effectively reduces bullying and builds students’ moral character. This hybrid approach—combining leadership principles with local wisdom—offers a replicable framework for other religious education institutions. The findings suggest the need for leadership training programs and further research to test the scalability of this model in diverse cultural contexts.

Keywords

transformational leadership; local wisdom; pesantren; bullying prevention; moral education

Full Text:

PDF

References

Acosta, J., Chinman, M., Ebener, P., Malone, P. S., Phillips, A., & Wilks, A. (2019). Evaluation of a Whole-School Change Intervention: Findings from a Two-Year Cluster-Randomized Trial of the Restorative Practices Intervention. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 48, 876–890.

Ahmad, S., Islam, T., Sohal, A. S., Wolfram Cox, J., & Kaleem, A. (2021). Managing Bullying in the Workplace: A Model of Servant Leadership, Employee Resilience and Proactive Personality. Personnel Review, 50(7/8), 1613–1631.

Ahmar, D. S., & Azzajjad, M. F. (2025). Empowering lLocal Wisdom for Enhancing Students’ Social Skills in the Global Era. Journal of Education, Social & Communication Studies, 2(2), 112–127.

Anderson, M. (2017). Transformational Leadership in Education: A Review of Existing Literature. International Social Science Review, 93(1), 1–13.

Anjani, S. L., Meisya, C., Hopeman, T. A., Adela, D., & Utomo, U. (2024). The Relationship of Bullying to Self-Confidence Students Through a Humanist Approach. International Conference on Education, Humanities, and Social Science (ICEHoS 2023), 130–148.

Ardian, Y., Arrozi, F., & Aftori, R. (2021). Internalisasi Budaya Senyum, Sapa, Salam, Sopan, Santun (5S) dalam Pola kepemimpinan Kiai Untuk Membentuk Budaya Ta’ẓīm Santri. ITQAN: Jurnal Ilmu-Ilmu Kependidikan, 12(2), 289–298.

Awalunisah, S. (2019). The Storytelling Method Based on Local Wisdom on Moral Values of 5-6 Years Old Children. 3rd International Conference on Education Innovation (ICEI 2019), 393–397.

Bashori, B., Yusup, M., & Khan, R. (2022). From Vision to Reality: A Holistic Examination of Transformational Leadership as a Catalyst for Cultivating Organizational Culture in Pesantren. Development: Studies in Educational Management and Leadership, 1(2), 133–152.

Bass, B. I., Cigularov, K. P., Chen, P. Y., Henry, K. L., Tomazic, R. G., & Li, Y. (2016). The Effects of Student Violence Against School Employees on Employee Burnout and Work Engagement: The Roles of Perceived School Unsafety and Transformational Leadership. International Journal of Stress Management, 23(3), 318.

Budiningsih, I., & TD, S. (2022). Strengthening Innovative Leadership in The Turbulent Environment. In Leadership-New Insights (pp. 139–176). InTech Rijeka.

Cemaloglu, N. (2011). The Role of Transformational Leadership in Workplace Bullying: Interactions with Leaders’ and Followers’ Job Characteristics in a Multi-Level Study. Journal of Educational Administration, 49(5), 495–512.

Cody, D. J., & Bingham, S. (2016). A Mentoring Program: Mentoring the Mentor and Mentee. International Journal of Nursing, 5(2), 1–6.

da Silva, J. L., de Oliveira, W. A., Komatsu, A. V., Zequinão, M. A., Pereira, B. O., Caravita, S. C. S., Skrzypiec, G., & Silva, M. A. I. (2020). Associations Between Bullying and Depression Among Students in School Transition. Trends in Psychology, 28(1), 72–84.

Dussault, M., & Frenette, É. (2015). Supervisors’ Transformational Leadership and Bullying in the Workplace. Psychological Reports, 117(3), 724–733.

Espelage, D. L., & Swearer, S. M. (2023). Updated Perspectives on Linking School Bullying and Related Youth Violence Research to Effective Prevention Strategies. In School Violence and Primary Prevention (pp. 199–216). Springer.

Futaqi, S., & Mashuri, S. (2023). Intellectual Capital of Islamic Boarding Schools to Build Multicultural Education Epistemology. Edukasia: Jurnal Penelitian Pendidikan Islam, 18(1), 1–20.

Grenz, S. (2014). Empowering Teen Peers to Prevent Bullying: The Bully Busters Program for High School. School Social Work Journal, 39(1), 93.

Hafidzi, A., Nurdin, N., & Lutfi, L. (2024). Addressing Gender Bias and Bullying in Islamic Boarding Schools: Challenges and Solutions. Muadalah, 12(1), 39–50.

Heenan, I. W., Paor, D. De, Lafferty, N., & McNamara, P. M. (2023). The Impact of Transformational School Leadership on School Staff and School Culture in Primary Schools—A systematic Review of International Literature. Societies, 13(6), 133.

Horton, P. (2016). Generationing School Bullying: Age-Based Power Relations, The Hidden Curriculum, and Bullying in Northern Vietnamese Schools. In Generationing Development: A Relational Approach to Children, Youth and Development (pp. 127–149). Springer.

Hymel, S., & Swearer, S. M. (2015). Four Decades of Research on School Bullying: An Introduction. American Psychologist, 70(4), 293–299.

Ilyas, M., & Handayani, N. (2022). Verbal Bullying and Its Effects on Social Relations of High School Students in Mataram Municipality. 3rd Annual Conference of Education and Social Sciences (ACCESS 2021), 118–130.

Kehoe, M. (2017). Teachers’ and Students’ Perspectives of Using Restorative Practices in Schools:" It’s Got the Power to Change Behaviour". Australian Catholic University.

Khalifa, M. A., Gooden, M. A., & Davis, J. E. (2016). Culturally Responsive Sschool Leadership: A Synthesis of the Literature. Review of Educational Research, 86(4), 1272–1311.

Layli, F., Shidiq, G. A., & Qomariah, N. (2023). Local Wisdom-Based Character Education for Facing Globalization Strategic Issues in The Digital Era in Primary School Student. IJCAR: Indonesian Journal of Classroom Action Research, 1(1), 12–17.

Lukens-Bull, R. A. (2000). Teaching morality: Javanese Islamic education in a globalizing era. Journal of Arabic and Islamic Studies, 3, 26–47.

Masyitoh, M. H. (2018). Habituasi Peserta Didik melalui Program Wali Asuh dalam Membentuk Karakter Santri di Pondok Pesantren. HIKMAH: Jurnal Pendidikan Islam, 7(2), 309–340.

Murdianto, M. (2021). Starting from Kerbung and Ending in Pesantren: The Analysis of the Track Record of the Emergence of Pesantren in Lombok. Jurnal Pendidikan Agama Islam (Journal of Islamic Education Studies), 9(1), 39–58.

Nafal, Q., Maunah, B., & Patoni, A. (2024). Hakikat Kepemimpinan Transformasional. IHSANIKA: Jurnal Pendidikan Agama Islam, 2(3), 45–58.

Nashuddin. (2020). Islamic Values and Sasak Local Wisdoms: The Pattern of Educational Character at NW Selaparang Pesantren, Lombok. Ulumuna: Journal of Islamic Studies, 24(1), 155–182.

Nauval, M. H. (2024). The Authority and Domination of Kyai in Forming Religious Discourse and Practice in Islamic Boarding Schools. Indev: Literasi Media Dakwah Dan Pengembangan Masyarakat, 3(1), 1–15.

Normore, A. H., & Jarrett, B. (2021). Restorative Approaches to Honoring Human Dignity and Transforming Urban Schools. In Preventing and Reducing Violence in Schools and Society (pp. 218–242). IGI Global.

Nurhuda, A., & Putri, Y. (2023). The Urgence of Teacher’s Example for Student Education in School. Journal Corner of Education, Linguistics, and Literature, 2(3), 250–257.

Nurlaela, N., Hadisaputra, P., Wildan, W., Zaki, M., Zuhri, M., & Zulkifli, M. (2024). Local Wisdom of Sasak Aristocrat and Moral Education: A Case Study from Lombok Island. Dialog, 47(1), 119–130.

Pörhölä, M., Almonkari, M., & Kunttu, K. (2019). Bullying and Social Anxiety Experiences in University Learning Situations. Social Psychology of Education, 22, 723–742.

Rasyid, R. E., & Aisa, S. (2024). Instilling Character Values through Language Learning Based on Local Wisdom in Sidenreng Rappang Regency. International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, 8(9), 1324–1330.

Recchia, H., Sack, J. K., & Conto, L. P. (2024). Restorative Justice as a Context for Moral Education in K-12 Schools. In Handbook of Moral and Character Education (pp. 165–182). Routledge.

Richmond, G., Bartell, T., Floden, R., & Petchauer, E. (2017). Core Teaching Practices: Addressing Both Social Justice and Academic Subject Matter. Journal of Teacher Education, 68(5), 432–434.

Roach, G. (2014). A Helping Hand? A Study into an England-wide Peer Mentoring Program to Address Bullying Behavior. Mentoring & Tutoring: Partnership in Learning, 22(3), 210–223.

Sakti, S. A., Endraswara, S., & Rohman, A. (2024). Integrating Local Cultural Values into Early Childhood Education to Promote Character Building. International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, 23(7), 84–101.

Septika, H. D., & Prasetya, K. H. (2020). Local Wisdom Folklore for Literary Learning in Elementary School. Pendas: Jurnal Ilmiah Pendidikan Dasar, 5(1), 13–24.

Setyaningsih, N., & Anggraeni, G. (2023). Student Character Building Through the 5S Culture (Smile, Greeting, Greeting, Politeness, Courtesy) in Triwidadi Public Elementary School. Proceedings of the 2nd UPY International Conference on Education and Social Science (UPINCESS 2023), 812, 309–315.

Shafaei, A., Nejati, M., Omari, M., & Sharafizad, F. (2024). Inclusive Leadership and Workplace Bullying: A Model of Psychological Safety, Self-Esteem, and Embeddedness. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 31(1), 41–58.

Smith, A. (2015). Bullying Resilience: Informing Schools and Communities to Transform Conflict by Using an Anti-Bullying Restorative Justice Campaign. Capella University.

Srivastava, S., Khan, M., Kumari, A., & Jain, A. K. (2024). A Study of Workplace Bullying and Coping Strategies in Hospitality Sector: Role of Moral Injury and iInclusive Leadership. Journal of Organizational Effectiveness: People and Performance, 11(1), 18–34.

Subur, S., Baihaqi, A., & Imron, I. (2024). Strengthening The Character Education of Islamic Boarding School Students and The Internalization of Values Through Local Wisdom at The Islamic Boarding School. 5th Borobudur International Symposium on Humanities and Social Science 2023, 953–963.

Suryadi, S., Ilmi, A. F., & Sukamto, S. (2023). Growing The Value of Islamic Religious Education to Prevent Bullying Behavior in Islamic Boarding Schools. Edukasi Islami: Jurnal Pendidikan Islam, 12(02), 1391–1404.

Suryadi, Y., Dewi, N. L. Y., Trisnawati, T., & Al-Amin, A.-A. (2024). The Impact of Transformational Leadership on Organizational Performance and Employee Motivation. Transforma Jurnal Manajemen, 2(2), 65–76.

Susanto, S. (2023). Child Mentoring to Cultivate Resilience of Vulnerability to Bullying. Bulletin of Community Engagement, 3(1), 36–44.

Vision and Mission Documentation Study of Pondok Pesantren Selaparang. (2024).

Ward-Seidel, A., Gregory, A., & Samalin, M. (2022). How Can Restorative Justice Enhance SEL and Equity in Schools. E-Encyclopedia of Education, 1–13. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.4324/9781138609877-REE208-1

Wringe, C. (1998). Reasons, Values and Community in Moral Education. British Journal of Educational Studies, 46(3), 278–288.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.35445/alishlah.v17i3.7494