Managerial Implementation of Madrasah Heads in Adjustment of Curriculum Changes: Study on the Implementation of the Independent Curriculum and the 2013 Curriculum at Madrasah Aliyah

EDUSOSHUM Journal of Islamic Education and Social Humanities Vol. 6, No. 2, May-August 2026, pp. 1172-1178 ISSN 2776-5229 1172 Managerial Implementation of Madrasah Heads in Adjustment of Curriculum Changes: Study on the Implementation of the Independent Curriculum and the 2013 Curriculum at Madrasah Aliyah Nur Holija1*, Abdurrahman2, and Toni Nasution3 1,2,3 Universitas Islam Negeri Sumatera Utara * ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT Article history Received March 30, 2026 Revisied April 27, 2026 Accepted May 21, 2026 Keywords: Principal managerial functions, Curriculum change, Kurikulum 2013, Merdeka Curriculum, Qualitative case study. This study aims to describe the implementation of the principal’s managerial functions in adapting to curriculum changes at Madrasah Aliyah Swasta Darussalam Kampung Banjir Gunung Tua. The study focuses on planning, organizing, implementing, and controlling functions in the application of the 2013 Curriculum and the Merdeka Curriculum. A qualitative approach with a case study design was employed. Data were collected through observation, interviews, and documentation. Informants included the principal, vice principal for curriculum, teachers, and education staff. Data were analyzed using the Miles, Huberman, and Saldaña model consisting of data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing. The findings show that the principal implemented managerial functions through curriculum program planning, teacher task distribution, educator development, academic supervision, and regular learning evaluation. The adaptation strategy involved curriculum team coordination, teacher training, innovative learning development, and strengthening a collaborative organizational culture. Supporting factors include leadership quality, teacher collaboration, curriculum training, and adaptive organizational culture. Inhibiting factors include limited teacher understanding of the Merdeka Curriculum, inadequate facilities, resistance to change, and rapid policy shifts. The study concludes that the success of curriculum change implementation is strongly influenced by the effectiveness of the principal’s managerial functions in managing educational transformation. 1. INTRODUCTION Previous studies have shown that leadership plays a crucial role in the successful implementation of curriculum change. Principals are identified as key actors in improving teacher performance and educational quality (Desy et al. 2022, 112). Managerial leadership has been found to significantly influence the success of curriculum implementation in schools (Nurlaeli et al. 2024, 78). Furthermore, principal leadership contributes to improving educational quality through the implementation of the Merdeka Curriculum (Mukhlisin et al. 2024, 90). In addition, supervisory practices by principals have been shown to enhance teachers’ understanding of curriculum reform and strengthen collaborative school culture (Markus et al. 2025, 101). Transformational leadership has also been emphasized as an important factor in supporting curriculum innovation and educational improvement (Agustian et al. 2024, 88). These findings indicate that leadership and managerial capacity are essential in ensuring successful curriculum implementation. This dual implementation creates managerial complexity in planning, organizing, implementing, and evaluating learning processes. Moreover, studies specifically examining the managerial functions of madrasah Nur Holija et.al (Implementation of Madrasah Heads in Adjustment of Curriculum Changes…) EDUSOSHUM Journal of Islamic Education and Social Humanities Vol. 6, No. 2, May-August 2026, pp. 1172-1178 ISSN 2776-5229 1173 principals in managing curriculum dualism in Islamic educational institutions remain limited. This indicates a significant research gap regarding how educational leaders manage curriculum transition in real institutional contexts. Based on preliminary observations at Madrasah Aliyah Swasta Darussalam Kampung Banjir Gunung Tua, both the 2013 Curriculum and the Merdeka Curriculum are implemented simultaneously. This condition causes difficulties for teachers in understanding curriculum differences, preparing learning tools, and applying appropriate assessment systems. In addition, variations in teacher readiness and understanding further affect the effectiveness of curriculum implementation. Coordination in curriculum management has not yet been fully optimized, indicating the need for stronger managerial roles from the principal in guiding the transition process. From a theoretical perspective, managerial functions consisting of planning, organizing, actuating, and controlling are essential for ensuring institutional effectiveness (Terry 1977, 32; Leithwood 2012, 54). Educational change is also understood as a process of organizational transformation that requires strong leadership, collaboration, and adaptability (Fullan 2007, 76). Therefore, the principal plays a strategic role as a change leader who directs, facilitates, and mobilizes all school members in facing curriculum transformation. The success of curriculum implementation is highly dependent on the principal’s ability to perform managerial functions effectively and continuously. This study is therefore conducted to analyze the implementation of the principal’s managerial functions in managing the transition between the 2013 Curriculum and the Merdeka Curriculum at Madrasah Aliyah Swasta Darussalam Kampung Banjir Gunung Tua. It also examines the strategies used by the principal in managing dual curriculum implementation and identifies supporting and inhibiting factors in this process. The study uses a qualitative case study approach involving observation, interviews, and documentation, with data analyzed using the Miles, Huberman, and Saldaña model. The expected outcome of this research is to provide a comprehensive understanding of how managerial functions influence curriculum transition effectiveness in madrasah settings and to contribute both theoretically and practically to the improvement of educational leadership in similar contexts 2. METHODS Figure 1. Methods This study uses a qualitative approach with a case study design. The qualitative approach is applied to gain an in-depth understanding of the implementation of the principal’s managerial functions in adapting curriculum changes based on real conditions in the field, particularly in the Nur Holija et.al (Implementation of Madrasah Heads in Adjustment of Curriculum Changes…) EDUSOSHUM Journal of Islamic Education and Social Humanities Vol. 6, No. 2, May-August 2026, pp. 1172-1178 ISSN 2776-5229 1174 context of the simultaneous implementation of the 2013 Curriculum and the Merdeka Curriculum. The case study design is used to explore comprehensively the phenomenon of curriculum transition management within a single educational setting. The research was conducted at Madrasah Aliyah Swasta Darussalam Kampung Banjir Gunung Tua, located in (...truncated)