A Comparative Study of Principal Leadership Styles in Public and Private Elementary Schools
Keywords:
Digital leadership, Instructional leadership, Leadership style, Private school, Public schoolAbstract
The purpose of this study is to identify the dominant leadership styles of school principals in two different types of schools, a public school and a private school. The study uses a mixed-methods approach that combines quantitative analysis of Likert scale questionnaires with qualitative analysis through in-depth interviews and non-participatory observation. This research was conducted as a case study at a Public Elementary School in Bandung City and a National Islamic Private Elementary School in West Bandung Regency. This study explores how the ownership status of school affects the chosen leadership priorities and styles. The results of the analysis show fundamental differences where the Public Elementary School principal is dominant in active Instructional Leadership (xˉ=4.0) and Digital Leadership (xˉ=3.9), followed by Visionary Leadership (xˉ=3.8). Despite the high digital score, qualitative results confirm that leadership in the public school remains focused on developing teacher capabilities through structured coaching and direct intervention, indicating that the implementation of digital leadership is not yet fully oriented toward a long-term vision. In contrary, the Private Elementary School principal practices Digital Leadership (xˉ=4.3), which emphasizes efficiency, data-based accountability systems, and managerial delegation, as well as Value-Based Leadership (xˉ=4.2), focusing on instilling strong values of integrity, ethics, and authenticity as a foundation for building trust within the school environment. Although both leaders possess strong character foundations in Authentic and Value-Based Leadership, both face similar challenges in the Servant Leadership dimension (lowest xˉ in Public School = 3.3; National Islamic Private School xˉ=4.0) due to high output demands and limited time for deep personal engagement. These findings conclude that school ownership status is a crucial determining factor in defining leadership strategies, where public schools invest in human resource development and program image, while private schools invest in digital systems and data accountability to maintain competitive advantage.
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