Navigating Prophetic Leadership: Preserving Teachers’ Moral Integrity and Agency in the Digital Education Ecosystem

Abstract

This study aims to explore and analyze the role of prophetic leadership as a strategic tool for teachers in navigating the challenges of moral integrity and professional agency within an increasingly complex digital education ecosystem. Using qualitative methods through a phenomenological approach, this study delves into educators’ in-depth experiences in integrating leadership values based on exemplary conduct, honesty, and emotional intelligence with the technical demands of technological disruption. The results indicate that prophetic leadership serves as an ethical anchor that strengthens teachers’ agency, ensuring they are not merely technical implementers of learning algorithms but remain moral agents with full authority to guide students’ character development. The findings also suggest that integrating these values significantly minimizes the risk of dehumanization in virtual interactions. The contribution of this research lies in the development of a new theoretical framework on teacher professionalism that synergizes digital competencies with spiritual-ethical skills. Practically, this study provides recommendations for policymakers and educational institutions to design professional development models that focus not only on digital literacy but also on strengthening moral integrity as the primary foundation for educators in an era of institutional transformation toward Society 5.0.