School principals' and teachers' perspectives on school quality management in Islamic schools: insights from Indonesia

Purpose This study investigates how teachers and principals in Indonesian madrasahs interpret and enact quality management within faith-based schooling environments. It examines their lived experiences, perceived challenges, and culturally grounded strategies for sustaining educational quality, while situating these practices within broader quality management and Islamic educational frameworks. Design/methodology/approach Guided by Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, the study involved 40 participants from rural, semi-urban and urban madrasahs. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and document analysis, followed by iterative coding, theme clustering, cross-case interpretation and reflexive verification. Findings Quality management is understood holistically, integrating character formation, tauhid-based curriculum practices, academic supervision, pedagogical innovation and transformational leadership. Significant challenges include technological limitations, curriculum instability, low parental engagement, uneven teacher competencies and resistance to digitalization. In response, madrasahs adopt adaptive approaches such as peer mentoring, pesantren-inspired collaborative learning, informal professional learning communities, alumni network mobilization, curriculum contextualization and internal teacher-exchange systems. These practices demonstrate how global quality frameworks (TQM/EFQM) are localized through Islamic values. Practical implications The findings highlight the need for context-responsive quality management models, targeted digital infrastructure support, differentiated professional development and stronger community partnerships. Originality/value The study offers empirically grounded insights into a culturally embedded approach to quality management, illustrating how TQM principles are primarily articulated through tauhid-oriented practices, while tarbiyah and ummah function as broader ethical and communal orientations, thereby contributing a nuanced understanding to faith-based and resource-constrained educational contexts.