<![CDATA[Abstract Research on educational leadership has said little about how teachers in high-performing Islamic secondary schools understand the way principals combine leadership practices in provincial Indonesian settings. This study examined teachers' views of principals' strategies, challenges, and the interaction of instructional, transformational, and consultative elements in two Islamic secondary schools in Bengkulu Province. A qualitative multiple-case design was used. Five experienced teachers were selected purposively and interviewed through semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis was conducted within each school before cross-case comparison. Teachers reported four strategies across both cases: personal encouragement of Islamic practice, institutionalization of religious routines, teacher-parent collaboration, and shura in decision-making. They also identified three shared challenges related to government policy, parental expectations and time, and consistent engagement with Islamic practices, plus one school-specific challenge concerning students outside school. The findings show how teachers perceived these practices as an integrated, context-responsive leadership repertoire in faith-based schooling. Abstrak Penelitian tentang kepemimpinan pendidikan masih terbatas dalam menjelaskan bagaimana guru di sekolah menengah Islam berkinerja tinggi memahami cara kepala sekolah memadukan berbagai praktik kepemimpinan dalam konteks daerah di Indonesia. Penelitian ini mengkaji pandangan guru mengenai strategi kepala sekolah, tantangan yang dihadapi, serta keterkaitan unsur instruksional, transformasional, dan konsultatif pada dua sekolah menengah Islam di Provinsi Bengkulu. Penelitian menggunakan desain kualitatif multikasus. Lima guru berpengalaman dipilih secara purposif dan diwawancarai melalui wawancara semi terstruktur. Analisis tematik dilakukan pada masing-masing sekolah sebelum perbandingan lintas kasus. Guru melaporkan empat strategi pada kedua kasus: dorongan personal terhadap praktik keislaman, pelembagaan rutinitas keagamaan, kolaborasi guru dan orang tua, serta shura dalam pengambilan keputusan. Mereka juga mengidentifikasi tiga tantangan bersama terkait kebijakan pemerintah, harapan orang tua dan waktu, serta konsistensi praktik keislaman, dan satu tantangan khusus sekolah terkait siswa di luar sekolah. Temuan menunjukkan bahwa guru memandang praktik tersebut sebagai repertoar kepemimpinan terpadu yang responsif terhadap konteks sekolah Islam. Â ]]>
