Contextual leadership and local wisdom: a qualitative case study in building school-based tolerance

  • Dorce Bu’tu 
    Sekolah Tinggi Agama Kristen Protestan Negeri Sentani
    Indonesia
  • Erni Kaway
    Sekolah Tinggi Agama Kristen Protestan Negeri Sentani
    Indonesia

Abstract

This study examined how contextual leadership by the school principal fosters a culture of tolerance based on local Papuan values at SMA Negeri 1 Sentani, Jayapura Regency. The research addressed the integration of Ondoafi leadership principles and the Satu Tungku Tiga Batu philosophy into school leadership, curriculum, and co-curricular activities to promote inclusivity and social cohesion. A qualitative case study design was employed, involving semi-structured interviews, participatory observation, and document analysis with the 1 principal, 3 vice principals, 3 teachers, 30 students, 2 school committee/parents, 2 customary leaders. Data analysis procedures are thematic analysis. Findings indicate that direct engagement, role modeling, moral guidance, and responsiveness to social issues by the principal, combined with structured school routines, collaborative learning, and community involvement, effectively foster a lived culture of tolerance. The integration of local wisdom reinforced cultural identity and social responsibility while creating a supportive and inclusive school climate. This study contributes a replicable framework for culturally responsive leadership and tolerance-building in multicultural educational contexts and highlights the need for explicit reflection to strengthen students’ understanding of local philosophical values.al values.

Keywords
  • Contextual leadership, Local wisdom, School tolerance, Papuan values, Multicultural education
Lisensing Information
Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

References
  1. Abdul Haq, E., Wasliman, I., Sauri, R. S., Fatkhullah, F. K., & Khori, A. (2022). Management of Character Education Based on Local Wisdom. Nidhomul Haq : Jurnal Manajemen Pendidikan Islam, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.31538/ndh.v7i1.1998
  2. Abdullah, N., Lajuma, S., Jafar, M. F., Ishak, M. N., & Khairon, S. S. (2026). Leadership strategies for inclusive education systematic review: how school principals support special needs students. Journal of Education and Learning (EduLearn), 20(2), 985–997. https://doi.org/10.11591/edulearn.v20i2.23614
  3. Allen, S. (2019). Exploring Quaker Organising to Consider the Possibilities for Relational Leadership. Quaker Studies, 24(2), 249–269. https://doi.org/10.3828/quaker.2019.24.2.5
  4. Anas, M., Saraswati, D., Ikhsan, M. A., & Hakim, M. L. (2026). Local wisdom as social regulation: the role of Anjangsana tradition in shaping interfaith tolerance in rural Indonesia. Cogent Social Sciences, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2026.2623301
  5. Arizona, K., Rokhmat, J., Ramdani, A., Gunawan, G., & Sukarso, A. (2025). Integrating Islamic Values and Local Wisdom into Science Education: Enhancing Character Development in Higher Education. Ulumuna, 29(1), 398–428. https://doi.org/10.20414/ujis.v29i1.1308
  6. Banks, J. A., & Banks, C. (2004). Multicultural Education: Issues and Perspectives. Update. Jossey-Bass, An Imprint of Wiley.
  7. Bolden, R., & Gosling, J. (2024). Facilitative Leadership: Re‐Framing Narratives to Navigate Conflict and Difference. Journal of Leadership Studies, 18(3), 83–90. https://doi.org/10.1002/jls.21910
  8. Bolea, A., & Atwater, and L. (2020). Becoming A Leader. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003036784
  9. Bumbungan, B., Baharuddin, & Sugiar, L. (2024). Kepemimpinan Kepala Sekolah Berbasis Multikultur Dalam Membentuk Karakter Peserta Didik. Indonesian Journal of Learning Studies, 3(2).
  10. Çalişkan, H., & Saǧlam, H. I. (2012). A study on the development of the tendency to tolerance scale and an analysis of the tendencies of primary school students to tolerance through certain variables. Kuram ve Uygulamada Egitim Bilimleri, 12(2).
  11. Calnin, G., Waterson, M., Richards, S., & Fisher, D. (2018). Developing Leaders for International Baccalaureate World Schools. Journal of Research in International Education, 17(2), 99–115. https://doi.org/10.1177/1475240918790703
  12. Chan, A. C. K., & Du-Babcock, B. (2019). Leadership in action: an analysis of leadership behaviour in intercultural business meetings. Language and Intercultural Communication, 19(2), 201–216. https://doi.org/10.1080/14708477.2018.1508291
  13. Clarke, N. (2018). Relational Leadership. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315620435
  14. Daft. (2014). Leadership Experience, 6th ed. In Research Perspectives on Leadership.
  15. Den Hartog, D. N., & De Hoogh, A. H. B. (2024). Cross-Cultural Leadership: What We Know, What We Need to Know, and Where We Need to Go. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 11(1), 535–566. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-110721-033711
  16. Desika Handayani, Muhammad Farouk Albakhar Anshori, Sefti Triani, & Nurlaili. (2024). The Role of School Principals in Creating Multicultural Education in the School Employee Environment. Santhet (Jurnal Sejarah Pendidikan Dan Humaniora), 8(2), 2376–2383. https://doi.org/10.36526/santhet.v8i2.4681
  17. Dewi, R. S., Sapriya, & Hakam, K. A. (2019). The effectiveness of cooperative learning model based on local wisdom of the outer baduy indigenous peoples in enhancing the characters of elementary school student cooperation. Journal of Advanced Research in Dynamical and Control Systems, 11(7).
  18. Donnet, T., Samson, D., & Daft, R. L. (2018). Fundamentals of Management 6th Edition. Cengage Learning, Inc.
  19. Dwi, N. P., Dartini, S., Syahputra, A., Zahara, L., Wijaksono, A., & Gombo, M. (2025). Integrating Local Wisdom Values into Educational Management: A Literature Review on Character Development Aspects. Indonesian Journal of Educational Inquiry, 2(1).
  20. Fairus, F., Maftuh, B., Sujana, A., Pribadi, R., & Azzahra, F. (2024). Local wisdom integration in learning implementation in elementary school. Jurnal Cakrawala Pendas, 10(2). https://doi.org/10.31949/jcp.v10i2.8029
  21. Gillies, R. M. (2012). Promoting reasoning, problem-solving and argumentation during small group discussions. In Pedagogy: New Developments in the Learning Sciences.
  22. Giyono, G., Sulisworo, D., & Suyitno, S. (2026). Building Students’ Environmental Awareness through Local Wisdom: A Case Study of Rasulan in Gunung Kidul, Indonesia. Environment and Ecology Research, 14(1), 36–49. https://doi.org/10.13189/eer.2026.140104
  23. Hanifa, Y. N., Maftuh, B., & -, W. (2025). Pembelajaran Sosiologi dalam Pembentukan Budaya Toleran. Dimensia: Jurnal Kajian Sosiologi, 14(1), 13–22. https://doi.org/10.21831/dimensia.v14i1.75423
  24. Hasan, M. F., Monita, D., Ar Rozi, H. A., & Sholihah, M. (2025). Reinvigorating the local wisdom of Soya-soya dance: incorporating cultural values into primary school operational curriculum innovation in South Halmahera, Indonesia. Research in Dance Education, 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1080/14647893.2025.2570124
  25. Hermin, L., & Sibidang, E. (2025). Menggali Kearifan Lokal Dalam Membentuk Kepemimpinan Kristen Kontekstual. HUMANITIS: Jurnal Homaniora, Sosial Dan Bisnis, 3(1), 249–260.
  26. Isac, M. M., Palmerio, L., & van der Werf, M. P. C. (Greetje). (2019). Indicators of (in)tolerance toward immigrants among European youth: an assessment of measurement invariance in ICCS 2016. Large-Scale Assessments in Education, 7(1), 6. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40536-019-0074-5
  27. Johns, G. (2024). The context deficit in leadership research. The Leadership Quarterly, 35(1), 101755. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2023.101755
  28. Kafa, A., Pashiardis, P., & Brauckmann-Sajkiewicz, S. (2025). When successful school leaders go entrepreneurial: empirical insights from Cyprus. International Journal of Leadership in Education, 1–30. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603124.2025.2541358
  29. Lesmana, T., Lidiawati, K. R., Purbojo, R., & Rueger, S. Y. (2025). Spiritual Fortitude as a Mediator between Grit and Flourishing Among Adolescent Victims of Bullying. The Open Psychology Journal, 18(1). https://doi.org/10.2174/0118743501390560250611062609
  30. Liu, S. (2025). Navigating Equality in Schools: The Sociological Impact of Leadership on Student Success. Education and Urban Society, 57(3), 245–298. https://doi.org/10.1177/00131245241304404
  31. Mandak, R., & Astuti, Y. (2026). Transformational School Leadership in Challenging Contexts. Journal of Innovation and Research in Primary Education, 5(1), 1021–1029. https://doi.org/10.56916/jirpe.v5i1.2872
  32. Maulana, M. A. S., Aminah, S., Putri, Y. A., Lestari, A. D., & Herianto, E. (2024). Implementasi Instrumen Pengukuran Sikap Toleransi Peserta Didik Oleh Guru PPKN. JIIP - Jurnal Ilmiah Ilmu Pendidikan, 7(2), 2019–2023. https://doi.org/10.54371/jiip.v7i2.3301
  33. Miles, M. B., Huberman, A. M., & Saldana, J. (2014). Qualitative Data Analysis. sage.
  34. Navarro Castro, L., & Nario Galace, J. (2010). Peace Education: A Pathway to the Culture of Peace.
  35. Noboru, T., Amalia, E., Hernandez, P. M. R., Nurbaiti, L., Affarah, W. S., Nonaka, D., Takeuchi, R., Kadriyan, H., & Kobayashi, J. (2021). School‐based education to prevent bullying in high schools in Indonesia. Pediatrics International, 63(4), 459–468. https://doi.org/10.1111/ped.14475
  36. Normand, R., Moos, L., Liu, M., & Tulowitzki, P. (2021). An International Comparison of Cultural and Social Foundations of Educational Leadership (pp. 3–21). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-74497-7_1
  37. Oc, B. (2018). Contextual leadership: A systematic review of how contextual factors shape leadership and its outcomes. The Leadership Quarterly, 29(1), 218–235. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2017.12.004
  38. Purwati, P., Darisman, D., & Faiz, A. (2022). Tinjauan Pustaka: Pentingnya Menumbuhkan Nilai Toleransi dalam Praksis Pendidikan. Jurnal Basicedu, 6(3), 3729–3735. https://doi.org/10.31004/basicedu.v6i3.2733
  39. Pusiknas.Polri. (2025). Data Gabungan: Jumlah Kasus Perundungan Naik Dua Kali Lipat. Pusiknas Bareskrim Polri. https://pusiknas.polri.go.id/detail_artikel/data_gabungan:_jumlah_kasus_perundungan_naik_dua_kali_lipat
  40. Rajaram, K. (2023). Cultural Intelligence in Teaching and Learning. In Learning Intelligence: Innovative and Digital Transformative Learning Strategies (pp. 57–118). Springer Nature Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-9201-8_2
  41. Rean, A. A., Shevchenko, A. O., & Stavtsev, A. A. (2024). Development and Approbation of the Dispositional Forbearance Scale. Experimental Psychology (Russia), 17(2), 217–228. https://doi.org/10.17759/exppsy.2024170213
  42. Rezeki, N. B., Amelia, N. D., & Aulia, P. (2026). Peran Kepemimpinan Pendidikan dalam Penguatan Budaya Sekolah. Jejak Digital: Jurnal Ilmiah Multidisiplin, 2(1), 620–631.
  43. Rodríguez, R. D. H., Sánchez, P. A., García, S. A., & García, C. M. C. (2019). Listening to students’ voices to build inclusion and educational equity: Design and validation of a questionnaire. Multidisciplinary Journal of Educational Research, 9(3). https://doi.org/10.447/remie.2012.07
  44. Rosler, N. (2019). The Creation Of Space For Conflict Change. In Overcoming Intractable Conflicts (pp. 123–142). Rowman & Littlefield International Ltd. https://doi.org/10.5040/9798881811389.ch-008
  45. Sahin, C. (2015). Determination of Tendencies of Secondary School Students to Tolerance and Variables Affecting their Tendencies to Tolerance. The Anthropologist, 20(3), 599–615. https://doi.org/10.1080/09720073.2015.11891764
  46. Setten, G. (2020). Habitus. In International Encyclopedia of Human Geography (pp. 287–290). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-102295-5.10188-X
  47. Sirlopú, D., Pérez-Salas, C., Cuadrado Guirado, I., & Benavente, M. (2024). Acceptance, Respect and Appreciation for Diversity: Psychometric Analysis of a Tolerance Scale in Chile. Revista Iberoamericana de Diagnóstico y Evaluación – e Avaliação Psicológica, 74(4), 39. https://doi.org/10.21865/RIDEP74.4.03
  48. Sukmawati, S., Rosmayanti, V., & Amin, S. (2025). Blending Technology and Tradition: PjBL in ELT to Foster Self-Directed Learning. International Journal of Language Education, 1(2), 356. https://doi.org/10.26858/ijole.v1i2.75114
  49. Sulkipani, Nurdiansyah, E., Waluyati, S. A., Saputra, M. A., & Dita, V. (2023). Internalization of local wisdom in character education. 040012. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0142366
  50. Suprapto, R. I. T., Hariyati, N., Dewi, U., Khamidi, A., & Amalia, K. (2024). Pengaruh Kepemimpinan Transformasional Kepala Sekolah Terhadap Pendidikan Multikultural. Jurnal Ilmiah Global Education, 5(4), 1564–1577. https://doi.org/10.55681/jige.v5i4.3334
  51. Tamher, I. (2025). Penanaman Nilai “Satu Tungku Tiga Batu” Warisan Leluhur Adat Dalam Menjaga Kerukunan Masyarakat Di Kabupaten Fakfak. Institut Pemerintahan Dalam Negeri.
  52. Teyfur, M., & Acar, E. (2014). The Importance of School Administrators’ Cultural Leadership in Chaos Atmosphere (pp. 259–265). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7362-2_33
  53. UNESCO. (2008). UNESCO ’S Work on Education for Peace and Non-Violence. UNESCO. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000160787
  54. Usmeldi, & Amini, R. (2020). The effect of integrated science learning based on local wisdom to increase the students competency. Journal of Physics: Conference Series, 1470(1), 012028. https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1470/1/012028
  55. Uswatul Mardliyah, Siti Nurul Nikmatul Ula, Masni Banggu, Bustamin Wahid, Kamaluddin, Lukman Rais, Abu Bakar, & Muh. Mawardi. (2025). Pendidikan Nilai-Nilai Sosial Budaya Lokal sebagai Upaya Menanamkan Toleransi pada Siswa SD Muhammadiyah 1 Kota Sorong. Abdimas: Papua Journal of Community Service, 7(2), 140–144. https://doi.org/10.33506/pjcs.v7i2.4452
  56. Warwer, F. (2024). The role of Ondofolo to maintain religious harmony: A study in a Christian perspective. Verbum et Ecclesia, 45(1). https://doi.org/10.4102/ve.v45i1.3236
  57. Werang, B. R., Agung, A. A. G., Jampel, I. N., Sujana, I. W., & Asaloei, S. I. (2023). Exploring the outside-the-box leadership of an Indonesian school principal: A qualitative case study. Cogent Education, 10(2). https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2023.2255091
  58. Yusuf, A., Habibie, A. N., Efendi, F., Kurnia, I. D., & Kurniati, A. (2022). Prevalence and correlates of being bullied among adolescents in Indonesia: results from the 2015 Global School-based Student Health Survey. International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health, 34(1). https://doi.org/10.1515/ijamh-2019-0064

Downloads

PDF

Statistic

Abstract Views
: 27 times
PDF
: 8 times