Transformational Leadership of School Principals in Improving the Pedagogical Competence of State High School Teachers in North Lampung Regency

This study aims to explore how school principals' leadership practices influence teachers' ability to manage learning effectively, with a specific focus on experiences at SMAN 1 Bukit Kemuning and SMAN 1 Abung Tinggi. The research investigates the extent to which transformational leadership contributes to enhancing teachers' pedagogical competence, identifies supporting and inhibiting factors, and examines the strategies principals employ to address related challenges. A qualitative approach with a phenomenological design was employed to gain an in-depth understanding of transformational leadership practices. Data validity was ensured through source and method triangulation. The results of the study indicate that transformational leadership has a significant impact on strengthening teachers' pedagogical competencies, particularly through the dimensions of idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration. The implementation of transformational leadership at SMAN 1 Abung Tinggi still requires strengthening in the aspects of motivation and innovation, resulting in slow progress in competency enhancementThe study recommends a systematic and sustained effort to strengthen principals' transformational leadership capacity, along with further research using quantitative methods across educational settings to broaden the validity and generalizability of findings.