Asta Brata leadership practices and its impact on school culture and student character in Indonesia’s elementary schools

With the rise of school-based autonomy, principals are increasingly expected to go beyond administrative duties and assume the role of visionary leaders—capable of responding to evolving educational challenges and formulating strategic approaches to enhance both learning quality and student character development. This study aims to examine the impact of Asta Brata leadership practices on school culture and the character development of elementary school students in Bali Province. A quantitative survey method was employed, using three sets of questionnaires distributed to 606 elementary school teachers who have established as respondents. Obtained data were statistically subjected to simple linear regression analysis technique by employing the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21. The analysis indicated that Asta Brata leadership practices positively and significantly influence both school culture and student character, while school culture likewise exerts a positive and significant effect on student character in elementary schools across Bali Province. These empirical findings call for strategic and visionary action from education policymakers in Bali Province to design and implement a school principal training model anchored in local wisdom values, with the goal of cultivating a robust school culture and nurturing the character development of students.