This study aims to describe the reasons for applying the cultural, humanistic, and nationalism approaches by school principals in supporting transformational leadership behavior. In addition, to explore the steps of the principal's transformational leadership role based on three forms of approach in the implementation of character education strengthening programs. This study used a qualitative approach, case study design. Data collection through in-depth interviews, participant observation, and learn documentation. Data analysis used a modified analytic analysis method. The level of credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability examines the validity of the data. The research findings explain that culture or tradition greatly influences the school environment, personal excellence, and encouragement to revive the humanistic spiritual inspirational figure, as well as the image of the school foundation managed by the Military unit, Kodam V-Brawijaya, being the basic reason that inspires the principal to use a cultural, humanistic approach, and nationalism. Besides that the steps of the principal's transformational leadership role based on cultural, humanistic, and nationalism approaches have an effective effect in optimizing the implementation of character education strengthening in schools.

Purpose of the study: This paper aims to describe the basic reasons behind the application of the principal's humanistic approach, and the steps of the principal's humanistic approach to optimizing character education strengthening programs.Methodology: This research uses a qualitative approach, case study design. Data collection is done through in-depth interviews, participant observation, and study documentation to achieve research objectives. Main Findings:Research findings reveal that personal excellence (integrity, wholeness, and authenticity) and the humanistic spirituality of inspirational figures inspire the principal's humanistic approach. In addition, the application of the principal's humanistic approach has a significant impact on optimizing the implementation of character education strengthening in schools and successfully forming the character of students. Applications of this study:This study can be useful for principals in the education department of Malang City, East Java, Indonesia, to use a humanistic approach model in carrying out leadership roles, because it has been proven effective in optimizing the implementation of optimizing character education strengthening programs in schools.Novelty/Originality of this study: The principal's role is to create a "humane" school environment through harmonious relationships, respecting subordinates as human beings, tolerant and non-discriminatory, giving examples of good behavior to subordinates based on self-excellence and imitating the spirituality of inspirational figures, so that good characters are formed in the teachers and students at school.

This study aims to describe the process of applying local cultural moral values (LCMV) that have not been prioritized by the Indonesian Ministry of Education, as the values of the primary character standards in schools. Besides, this study also describes the principal's transformational leadership behavior (TLB), based on the local culture teaching dimension approach. This research used a qualitative approach, case study design. The data collection was carried out through in-depth interviews, participant observation, and documentation studies to achieve the research objectives. Data analysis used a modified analytic analysis method. Meanwhile, the data validity was used to reveal the credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability. The results of the study demonstrate that LCMV supports strengthening the character of students, and the application of TLB based on the local culture teaching dimension approach is severely useful in optimizing the implementation of character education strengthening programs (CESP). This research was conducted in 2018-2019, at the State Junior High School 1, Private Catholic Junior High School, and Private Islamic Junior High School in the West Flores region, Indonesia. The contribution of this research is to position the moral values of the "Lonto Leok" culture of the Manggarai community as local cultural assets that support the formation of student character. Also, the dimensions of teaching lonto leok culture affect effectively supporting the principal's transformational leadership behavior, so that the program to strengthen character education is optimally implemented.

This research described the fundamental inspiration behind the implementation of a humanistic approach to the principal's leadership and the steps of the principal's humanistic approach that have an impact on optimizing the implementation of the program for strengthening character education. This research used a qualitative approach, a case study design. The data collection was performed through in-depth interviews, participant observation, and documentation studies to achieve the research objectives. Data analysis used a modified analytic analysis method. The level of credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability was the basis of data validity. The research findings explained that personal excellence (integrity, wholeness, and self-authenticity) and the humanistic spirituality of inspirational figures inspired the principal’s humanistic approach. In addition, the application of the principal's humanistic approach had adequate impacts on optimizing the implementation of a program for strengthening character education and influenced the strengthening of the student's character. Through the principal's humanistic approach, school becomes an environment for empowering the character of the students.

This article aims to explain descriptively and critically related to strengthening character values and transformational leadership strategies of principals in strengthening character values in the global era. These two research points are assessed as a school strategy for metamorphosis to change the paradigm of education through revitalization and transformation of educational values. Achieving character education values such as intellectual maturity, strong, and competitive self-character. The method of writing this article is to critically discuss the results of research based on relevant studies. The validity of the data is to find the meaning of the data, based on the depth of fact from the findings of the relevant researchers, and to discuss the appropriateness of the meaning and its relevance to conditions in Indonesia. The study results explain several important points such as; (1) the importance of the role of the principal's transformational leadership in strengthening self-character, such as building a positive and inspirational school culture through the provision of high motivation and achievement; (2) increasing collaboration between teachers and changing teachers' attitudes towards their work in a more positive direction; (3) as a charismatic change agent flexibly of thinking and acting; (4) build teacher confidence; (5) guidance and direction to teachers, staff, and students; (6) acting on the basis of a value system; (7) optimizing intellectual stimulation to deal with complicated and unclear situations in the global era; (8) have new ideas, new ways, new practices in integrating character values in the curriculum, extracurricular and co-curricular activities in schools; (9) the spirit of a model in behavior to be imitated by students through habituation and exemplary practices by teachers in schools.