Volume 3, No. 8 August 2024 (1849-1858)
p-ISSN 2980-4868 | e-ISSN 2980-4841
https://ajesh.ph/index.php/gp
The Effect of Inclusive Leadership on Student Participation and Retention in Distance Higher Education Programs
Deni Surapto1*, Usep Suhud2,
Christian Wiradendi Wolor3
1Universitas Terbuka, Cirebon, West Java,
Indonesia
2,3Universitas Negeri Jakarta, East
Jakarta, DKI Jakarta, Indonesia
Email:
denis@ecampus.ut.ac.id1*, usuhud@unj.ac.id2, christianwiradendi@unj.ac.id3
ABSTRACT:
Distance higher
education (PJJ) has become an increasingly popular option for many
people, especially for those who
do not have access to traditional
higher education. This research aims
to analyze the influence of
inclusive leadership on student participation
in the PJJ program. This research uses quantitative
methods with a survey approach. Data was collected through
surveys using questionnaires and literature studies. The data that has been collected
is then analyzed
using the path coefficient test with SEM PLS. The research results show that inclusive
leadership has a positive effect on student
participation in distance higher education programs with a P value (0.000 < 0.05). In addition,
inclusive leadership has a positive effect on student retention
in distance higher education programs with a P value of P (0.000 < 0.05). Students who feel listened
to and appreciated
by leaders tend to be
more actively involved in academic activities. Additionally, students who feel
support and inclusion from leaders are more likely to remain
enrolled and complete the program.
Keywords: Inclusive Leadership,
Participation, Retention, Students, Distance Higher Education
INTRODUCTION
Learning
continues to develop over time (Alexander,
2001; Mintii et al., 2021), included in the learning model
applied in higher education (Taylor,
1994).
Moreover, the Covid-19 pandemic has forced the learning system to make adjustments (Bhavya
Bhasin et al., 2021; Hassan, 2022). One form of adjustment is the implementation of online
learning (Maatuk
et al., 2022).
Basically, the principle of online learning is distance learning (PJJ) (Bernard et al., 2000); Supriadin
& Sakti, 2021). PJJ is an educational system where the learning process is
carried out without requiring the physical presence of students on campus
continuously (Firat
& Bozkurt, 2020).
PJJ allows students to access learning materials (Zamari et al., 2012), interact with lecturers, and take
exams from different locations (Singh
et al., 2020),
often through digital platforms and communication technology (Widyastuti, 2021).
The
Director General of Higher Education of the Ministry of Education and Culture,
Nizam, stated that 98 percent of universities throughout Indonesia have
implemented online learning. A survey conducted by the Ministry of Education
and Culture on 237,193 respondents out of a total of 8,325,013 students, based
on the Higher Education Database (PPDikti), showed
that 13.84 percent of students rated the quality of online lectures as very
good, 45.56 percent rated it as good, 23.54 percent rated it as mediocre, 10.95
percent rated it bad, and 2.97 percent rated it very bad (CNN, 2020).
The
main challenge in distance education (PJJ) is the low level of student
participation and retention (Fisher
& Baird, 2005).
Participation Is A person's involvement in a situation, either mentally,
mentally, emotionally, or emotionally, which encourages him to contribute to
efforts to achieve predetermined goals and take responsibility for activities
to achieve those goals (Padilla
Rodriguez et al., 2020) ; Panjaitan, 2018). Meanwhile, student retention is the
ability of an educational institution to retain students to remain enrolled and
continue their studies until they complete the academic program they follow
(Mulyana & Ayuni, 2014).
Many
PJJ students feel isolated and less motivated to complete their study programs (California, 2016). Factors such as lack of social
interaction, difficulty in accessing learning materials, and Limitations
support and guidance from Tutor often causes students to have difficulty in
maintaining their involvement in the learning process (Radovan, 2011). As a result, many college students do not successfully
complete their programs, leading to low retention rates in distance education
programs (Goulimaris,
2015).
One
of the efforts to overcome these challenges is with exclusive leadership.
Exclusive leadership is a leadership style that tends to limit the
participation and involvement of team or organization members in
decision-making and work processes (Mousa
& Ayoubi, 2019). Leaders with this style often rely
on their own authority (Adapa & Sheridan, 2018) and make decisions centrally without
involving input from team members (Putra, 2019).
The
novelty of this research is from the research subject, namely students in
distance higher education programs who have never been researched before in
terms of the influence of inclusive leadership on participation and retention.
This study enriches the literature on inclusive leadership by providing
empirical evidence of its influence on student participation and retention in
the context of distance higher education, which can be the basis for further
theoretical development in this area. This study aims to analyze the influence
of inclusive leadership on student participation in the PJJ program.
RESEARCH METHODS
This
study uses a quantitative method with a survey approach. The quantitative
method is a research approach that uses numerical data and statistical
techniques to test hypotheses and answer research questions. The main goal of
this method is to measure the three variables and analyze the relationship
between the variables objectively and measurably (Haig & Haigm 2018). Data
was collected through surveys using questionnaires and literature studies. The
population of this study is all PJJ students in Indonesia. The sample of this
study was 99 PJJ students who were randomly selected. The collected data was
then analyzed using a
path coefficient test with SEM PLS.
Based on this description, the researcher has a hypothetical design:
H1: There is a
positive relationship between inclusive leadership and student participation in
the PJJ program.
H2: There is a positive relationship
between inclusive leadership and student retention in the PJJ program.
Figure
1. Research Outline
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Measurement Model (Outer
Model)
The
Outer Model is a part of the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) analysis that
is used to measure the relationship between latent variables (constructs) and
the indicators that measure them. This model focuses on the validity and
reliability of these indicators in measuring the intended construct.
Figure
2. Output Outer Model
Based
on data processing with SEM-PLS 3.0 Professional, the following outer model
values are produced:
Table
1. Outer Loading
|
|
Inclusive Leadership |
Partisipasi |
Retention |
|
KI10 |
0,785 |
|
|
|
KI11 |
0,782 |
|
|
|
KI12 |
0,730 |
|
|
|
KI2 |
0,750 |
|
|
|
KI3 |
0,763 |
|
|
|
KI4 |
0,637 |
|
|
|
KI5 |
0,751 |
|
|
|
KI6 |
0,784 |
|
|
|
KI7 |
0,750 |
|
|
|
KI8 |
0,805 |
|
|
|
KI9 |
0,786 |
|
|
|
KI1 |
0,737 |
|
|
|
PR1 |
|
0,838 |
|
|
PR2 |
|
0,831 |
|
|
PR3 |
|
0,840 |
|
|
PR4 |
|
0,835 |
|
|
PR5 |
|
0,816 |
|
|
PR6 |
|
0,851 |
|
|
PR7 |
|
0,861 |
|
|
PR8 |
|
0,856 |
|
|
RT1 |
|
|
0,814 |
|
RT2 |
|
|
0,805 |
|
RT3 |
|
|
0,835 |
|
RT4 |
|
|
0,763 |
|
RT5 |
|
|
0,834 |
|
RT6 |
|
|
0,829 |
|
RT7 |
|
|
0,761 |
|
RT8 |
|
|
0,815 |
|
RT9 |
|
|
0,848 |
Table
1 shows that the outer loading values of all indicators in the variables of
inclusive leadership, participation, and retention have reached values above
the critical limit, which is > 0.5. A high loading factor value indicates a
strong relationship between the indicator and the latent variable being
measured.
Table
2. Average Variances Extracted
|
|
Average Variance Extracted (AVE) |
|
Inclusive Leadership |
0,572 |
|
Partisipasi |
0,707 |
|
Retention |
0,660 |
In
table 2, the AVE value is also above 0.5, and the cross
loading value shows that the correlation between the construct and the
indicator in the measure variable is greater than the correlation between the
construct and other indicators. So it can be concluded
that all indicators used in this study have met the criteria of discriminant
and convergent validity, so they are declared valid.
Table
3. Validity of Discrimination
|
|
Inclusive Leadership |
Partisipasi |
Retention |
|
Inclusive Leadership |
0,756 |
|
|
|
Partisipasi |
0,814 |
0,841 |
|
|
Retention |
0,786 |
0,825 |
0,812 |
Based
on table 3 above, it can be seen that all indicators
that make up each variable in this study have met the validity of
discrimination. This is shown by the cross loading
value which shows that the correlation value between the construct and its
indicator is greater than the correlation value between the construct and other
indicators.
Table
4. Composite Reliability
|
|
Cronbach's Alpha |
Composite Reliability |
|
Inclusive Leadership |
0,931 |
0,941 |
|
Partisipasi |
0,941 |
0,951 |
|
Retention |
0,935 |
0,946 |
Based
on the results of the calculations in table 4, it is known that all Cronbach's
Alpha values are above 0.60 (CA > 0.60) and all Composite Reliability values
are also above 0.70 (CR > 0.70). Thus, it can be concluded that all the
constructs in this study have good reliability and are declared reliable.
Model Struktural
(Inner Model)
The
Structural Model (Inner Model) is a part of the structural equation model
analysis (SEM) that is used to assess the relationship between latent
constructs (latent variables) in research. The structural model focuses on how
these latent variables interact with each other or affect each other based on a
hypothesis that has been formulated.
Table
5. R-Square
|
|
R Square |
R Square Adjusted |
|
Partisipasi |
0,662 |
0,659 |
|
Retention |
0,617 |
0,613 |
Based
on the results of the R-Square calculation shown in Table 5, it is known that
the Inclusive Leadership variable has an influence on the participation
variable by 66.2%. In addition, Inclusive Leadership also has an influence on
the retention variable by 61.7%. The rest is influenced by other variables
outside the research that has been conducted.
Table
6. Path Coefficients
|
|
Original Sample (O) |
Sample Mean (M) |
Standard Deviation (STDEV) |
T Statistics (|O/STDEV|) |
P Values |
|
Inclusive Leadership -> Participation |
0,814 |
0,798 |
0,099 |
8,189 |
0,000 |
|
Inclusive Leadership -> Retention |
0,786 |
0,779 |
0,098 |
8,036 |
0,000 |
The
Path Coefficients test will be a reference for conducting a hypothesis test in
this study with the criteria that have been explained, namely the hypothesis is
accepted if the value is P<0.05, while the hypothesis is rejected if the
value in the P column > 0.05. The results of testing the hypothesis proposed
in this study are as follows:
1.
H1:
Inclusive leadership has a positive effect on student participation in distance
higher education programs with a t-statistical value of 8.189 and a P value of
0.000, which means P < 0.05, which means the hypothesis is accepted.
2.
H2:
Inclusive leadership has a positive effect on student retention in distance
higher education programs with a t-statistical value of 8.036 and a P value of
0.000, which means a P < 0.05, which means the hypothesis is accepted.
Discussion
Inclusive Leadership has an effect on student participation
The
results of the study showed that inclusive leadership had an
effect on student participation in the distance education program with a
t-statistical value of 8.189 and a P value of 0.000 which means P < 0.05,
which means the hypothesis was accepted. Inclusive leadership plays an
important role in increasing student participation in distance higher education
programs. Inclusive leaders create an open, welcoming, and supportive learning
environment for all students, regardless of their background. This encourages
students to participate more actively in the learning process. Additionally,
inclusive leadership also ensures that every student feels valued and listened
to, which in turn increases their motivation to engage more deeply. Previous
research by (Rawat et al., 2021) found that inclusive leadership helps create
worker participation, and engagement can lead employees to better performance.
Another study by (Carmeli et al., 2010) shows that
inclusive leadership is positively related to psychological safety, which in
turn gives rise to employee involvement in creative work.
Inclusive Leadership
Affects Student Retention
The results of the
study showed that Inclusive leadership had an effect on
student retention in the distance education program with a t-statistical value
of 8,036, and a P value of 0.000 which means P < 0.05 which means the
hypothesis is accepted. Inclusive leadership has a significant impact on
student retention in distance higher education programs. Inclusive leaders seek
to create an environment that is supportive, respects diversity and cares about
the individual needs of each student. Students feel more valued and motivated
to continue their studies. Inclusive leadership also provides the emotional and
academic support students need to overcome the challenges they face in distance
learning. Additionally, by ensuring that all students feel welcome and have
equal access to educational resources, inclusive leadership helps reduce
dropout rates and increase retention rates. Previous research by (Yasin et al.,
2023) shows that inclusive leadership positively influences the alignment of
leaders' goals, which in turn positively influences organizational commitment.
Furthermore, organizational commitment has a negative influence on the
intention to move. In addition, these results provide support for the mediating
effect of follower-leader goal alignment on the relationship between inclusive
leadership and organizational commitment, and the mediating effect of
organizational commitment on the relationship between follower-leader goal
alignment and moving intention.
CONCLUSION
The
results showed that inclusive leadership had a significant positive influence
on student participation in distance higher education programs, with a P value
of 0.000 which was smaller than 0.05. In addition, inclusive leadership also
has a positive effect on student retention in the program, with a P value of
0.000, smaller than 0.05. Students who feel listened to and valued by leaders
tend to be more actively involved in academic activities. In addition, students
who feel support and inclusion from leaders are more likely to stay enrolled
and complete their educational programs.
Future
studies may explore the role of moderation and mediation variables in the
relationship between inclusive leadership and student participation and
retention. Variables such as intrinsic motivation, academic engagement, and
social support can provide a more comprehensive understanding. Further research
can examine the long-term effects of inclusive leadership on student
participation and retention. Longitudinal studies will help understand how the
effects of inclusive leadership develop over time and how this impacts
long-term academic success.
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|
Deni
Surapto, Usep Suhud,
Christian Wiradendi Wolor
(2024) |
|
First publication
right: Asian Journal of
Engineering, Social and Health (AJESH) |
|
This article is
licensed under:
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