ANALYSIS OF INITIAL CONDITIONS: A FACTUAL OVERVIEW OF TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP, PRINCIPALS' EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE, AND THE IMPLEMENTATION OF LOCAL CULTURAL CURRICULUM IN GORONTALO CITY ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS

This study aims to analyze baseline data regarding the factual state of transformational leadership, principals' emotional intelligence, and the effectiveness of implementing the Local Content (Mulok) curriculum on regional culture in elementary schools across Gorontalo City. Employing a mixed-methods approach—combining quantitative descriptive analysis with qualitative analysis—data were collected from 24 principals and 120 elementary school teachers via structured questionnaires and in-depth interviews. The analysis reveals that principals' transformational leadership falls into the "Adequate" category, with the dimensions of inspirational motivation and intellectual stimulation requiring further optimization. Principals' emotional intelligence is rated as "Good," particularly regarding self-awareness; however, emotional management during institutional conflict resolution remains inconsistent. Meanwhile, the implementation of the Gorontalo Cultural Local Content curriculum is deemed "Suboptimal" due to a lack of standardized teaching materials, teachers' limited pedagogical competence in integrating local philosophical values ​​(*Adat bersendikan Syara’, Syara’ bersendikan Kitabullah*), and insufficient monitoring by policymakers. The study recommends reconstructing leadership training models based on emotional intelligence and accelerating the development of digital modules for the Gorontalo Cultural Local Content curriculum.