Situational Leadership as Adaptive Leadership in Faith-Based Science Education: A Qualitative Case Study of a High-Performing Islamic Boarding School

Abstract

Educational leadership in faith-based schools is increasingly required to balance academic excellence, teacher development, and institutional values within complex and rapidly changing educational environments. Although situational leadership has been widely examined in educational settings, existing studies primarily conceptualize it as an interpersonal leadership style, offering limited understanding of how it functions as an adaptive institutional framework in high-performing, faith-based science schools. This study addresses this gap by examining how situational leadership is enacted across organizational processes to support teacher performance and sustained institutional excellence.This study employed a qualitative case study design at a high-performing Islamic boarding school integrating religious values with science education. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, non-participant observations, and document analysis involving 18 participants, including school leaders, teachers, achievement coordinators, and students. Data were analyzed using the interactive model of Miles, Huberman, and Saldaña through iterative coding, thematic analysis, and triangulation.The findings indicate that situational leadership operates as an adaptive institutional framework rather than merely an interpersonal leadership style. Leaders dynamically adjusted directive, supportive, participative, and delegative behaviors according to teacher readiness, task complexity, and organizational stages. Leadership adaptation enhanced teacher professional growth, distributed responsibility, strengthened organizational capacity, and sustained institutional excellence. Faith-based values fostered trust, commitment, and collective responsibility, enabling adaptive leadership while maintaining innovation and high academic performance.This study extends situational leadership theory by reconceptualizing it as an adaptive institutional framework embedded in organizational processes. The findings provide theoretical insights into leadership adaptation in value-driven educational settings and offer practical guidance for school leaders seeking to balance faith-based values with sustained educational excellence.