Guru Penggerak and Transforming Schools Withing the Framework of Appreciative Inquiry

Abstract

The “Guru Penggerak” program is one of the most important parts of the “merdeka belajar” policy. Mobilizing teachers are designated as agents of transformation to reform the education system from the smallest unit, namely schools. This study aims to find and examine important discourses about the role of agents in the process of organizational transformation by focusing on the role of the guru penggerak in driving school transformation process by appreciative inquiry framework. The method used is a qualitative method with a constructivist approach by referring to theoretical analysis and document study. The results of this study indicate that the guru penggerak program shifted the management of change in education from a centralized pattern towards decentralization with activating teachers as agents and schools as centers of transformation. Guru penggerak plays a role in bringing the new vision of learning and spreading this vision to all stakeholders. The process of transformation that is driven by the guru penggerak is carried out using an appreciative inquiry approach to explore the potential and strength of change from within the school through a dialogue process so as to minimize the occurrence of counterproductive resistance.