Transformation of Charity Schools into Independent Hybrid Schools

Abstract

This study is an exploratory qualitative study that aims to reveal the process of transformation of charity schools into independent hybrids based on the paradigm of the Struss and Corbin (1998) logic model, and based on the perspective of institutional theory. The research site is the Yayasan Indonesia Juara (YIJ) which manages Sekolah Juara (SJ), a charity-based school that is undergoing the process of becoming independent through the implementation of social enterprise (SE). Data were collected through observation, documentation, and especially in-depth interviews with 8 key informants and 6 additional informants. This transformation process research was conducted for 3 years in revealing the process of school transformation at YIJ. Based on the analysis with an explorative institutional theory framework, the study can reveal the causal conditions that cause the transformation of charity schools, the actions and strategies implemented, especially the implementation of socio-enterprise, so that YIJ has succeeded in delivering three schools that were previously charity-based to become independent hybrids. The study also identified institutional isomorphism in actions, strategies, and changes that are coercive (coercive isomorphism), imitation (mimetic isomorphism) or changes that reflect forms of responsibility and professionalism (normative isomorphism). Although this school transformation was caused by coercive pressure, many of the strategies or actions carried out were normative isomorphism supported by mimetic isomorphism.