Educational Leadership Research Research Articles

A Genealogy toward Methodic Doubts in Educational Leadership Research

A Genealogy toward Methodic Doubts in Educational Leadership Research

Exploring the link between principal instructional leadership and differentiated instruction in an understudied context: the role of teacher collaboration and self-efficacy

PurposeResearch has provided powerful evidence that what teachers do in the classroom matters most for the learning of students. Evidence also suggests that school leaders can make a significant difference to student learning via their influence on teachers' attitudes, beliefs and classroom practices. The purpose of this study was to examine if/how principal instructional leadership practices affect differentiated instruction in Omani schools, and understand the role that teacher collaboration and self-efficacy play in this dynamic.Design/methodology/approachThe study used structural equation modeling (SEM) to analyze data collected from a sample of 496 teachers working in public schools in Muscat, Oman.FindingsThe findings revealed no direct association between principal instructional leadership and differentiated instruction. Instead, the effects of principal instructional leadership on differentiated instruction were achieved indirectly through the mediation of teacher collaboration and teacher self-efficacy. Collaboration was also found to have a positive influence on the teachers' self-efficacy beliefs.Originality/valueThe significance of this study stems from its relevance to the educational developments unfolding not only in Oman, but in the Gulf region at large. Recent reviews of educational administration and leadership research in the Gulf states indicate the scarcity of empirical research investigating the relationship between principal leadership and teacher practices. This is problematic as it creates a gap in our knowledge of the factors that can support ongoing school improvement initiatives in the region. More specifically, we expect our findings to guide current educational reforms aimed at raising education quality via promoting effective teaching and learning in Omani schools.

The Intellectual Evolution of Educational Leadership Research: A Combined Bibliometric and Thematic Analysis Using SciMAT

The Intellectual Evolution of Educational Leadership Research: A Combined Bibliometric and Thematic Analysis Using SciMAT

Shadowing School Principals – What Do We Learn (Anew)?

ABSTRACT Shadowing has been used for decades in educational leadership and management research. Yet, there appears to be little academic discussion of shadowing and its related forms or anal-yses of the method itself. This contribution attempts to further a reflection on shadowing by providing insights into its use as well as its pitfalls and merits. For this purpose, relevant stud-ies from 2017 until 2023 making use of shadowing were analyzed. The results indicate that although the use of shadowing in educational leadership research has increased, methodolog-ical discussion and reflection of the method has been only limited.

Call for Papers: A Paradigm Shift to Estimation Thinking in Quantitative Research in Educational Leadership

Call for Papers: A Paradigm Shift to Estimation Thinking in Quantitative Research in Educational Leadership

Mapping doctoral dissertations in an educational leadership programme: A longitudinal examination of knowledge construction in the last two decades

AbstractThis paper offers a meta‐analysis scoping study of doctoral dissertations completed in the last 20 years in one doctoral programme of Educational Leadership (EL) at a higher education institution in Texas, aiming at identifying topical foci, epistemology, methodology and main themes. Therefore, we systematically collected, documented, securitised and analysed completed dissertations following the steps identified by PRISMA guidelines. The review aimed to answer the following four questions: (1) What are the general trends of doctoral dissertations in the studied programme? (2) What is the topical foci of these dissertations? (3) What are the prevailing epistemological constructs and genres informing this work? (4) What are the gaps in this research focus within the scope of educational leadership and policy? Based on our analysis, four main key themes were identified: educational leadership and policy, public education, equity and social justice, and race and ethnicity. Further implications, utility of research and future dissertations in educational leadership in this programme and other similar programmes are fully discussed.

Dueling Roles in Dual Language Education: Exploring Leader Identity Development in Dual Language Strands

Purpose: Building on research in educational leadership, dual language leadership, and leader identity development, this study examines how principals of schools with dual language immersion (DLI) strands perceive and enact their leadership roles and identities. As DLI strands proliferate in schools and districts, this research contributes to understandings of principals’ leader identities as they implement these programs. Research Methods/Approach: We used an embedded single case study design, with the phenomenon of Indiana school leadership in DLI strands as the case and principals as the embedded units of analysis, and we conducted semistructured interviews with over 80% of Indiana DLI strand principals ( n = 26). We conceptualized this as a single case, due to the common policy context of state legislation related to DLI and school choice. Findings: The DLI strand principals described their leadership work through primarily instructional and distributed leadership dimensions, drawing upon their historic, epistemic, and political understandings of their roles. Principals draw less upon the emotional and narrative dimensions of their leader identities, which are more apparent in teacher identity literatures. Implications for Research and Practice: Principals of new DLI strands often have limited expertise related to DLI models and have not considered how their roles should accommodate leading “two schools in one.” We provide recommendations for both practitioners and researchers in leadership preparation to encourage school leaders’ deeper engagement in reflective work across the dimensions of leader identity development. We furnish a matrix of questions to guide this work.

Evolution of the Scholarly Landscape in Teacher Leadership Research: A Bibliometric Examination of Literature from 2014 To 2023

Over the past decade, there has been a notable surge in the attention directed toward teacher leadership, where it has assumed a pivotal role in initiatives aimed at reforming and enhancing the realm of education. This bibliometrics analysis delves into the scholarly terrain of teacher leadership research available within the Scopus database, spanning the years 2014 to 2023. The primary objective of this study is to discern emerging trends, identify existing research lacunae, and outline potential implications for future inquiry and educational practice in this dynamic field. This comprehensive review consolidates insights derived from a diverse array of studies that scrutinize multiple facets of teacher leadership. It investigates the impact of various leadership styles on teacher morale, student achievement, and overall school improvement. Moreover, this analysis probes into the role of educators in nurturing positive school climates, orchestrating change, and fostering collaborative relationships within the educational community. The data collection process commenced by retrieving 1048 articles using the keyword "teacher leadership." To rigorously analyze this wealth of information, a variety of tools were employed, including Microsoft Excel for frequency analysis, data visualization, and Harzing's Publish or Perish for citation metrics and in-depth analysis. By dissecting the existing body of literature, this paper seeks to enhance our comprehension of the multifaceted dimensions of teacher leadership, offering valuable insights to both researchers and practitioners. The study encompasses an array of bibliometric indicators, encompassing language, subject area, publication year-based research trends, prominent countries of contribution, influential institutions, active source titles, citation patterns, authorship characteristics, and keyword distributions. The results underscore a significant upswing in teacher leadership literature from 2014 to 2023, with the United States emerging as the primary contributor to educational leadership research, closely followed by Turkey. In conclusion, this bibliometrics analysis provides a comprehensive panorama of teacher leadership research spanning the years 2014 to 2023. The discerned trends and identified research gaps present valuable insights for researchers, educators, and policymakers, offering a platform for the continued advancement of teacher leadership as a potent instrument for enhancing educational outcomes and nurturing professional development in the 21st century.

Culturally Intelligent Educational Leaders: Effectiveness of Preparation Programs in Developing Educational Leaders Cultural Intelligence

The burgeoning cultural diversity in public schools calls for culturally competent educational leaders. Drawing on the theoretical framework of cultural intelligence (CQ), this quantitative, causal–comparative study examines the relationship between educational leadership preparation programs and participants’ cultural competence development. Data collected from 546 graduate students at 54 U.S. universities and analyzed using an independent samples t-test revealed no statistically significant difference between program starters’ and program completers’ aggregate CQ, cognitive CQ, and metacognitive CQ. Program completers had significantly lower levels of motivational CQ and behavioral CQ than program starters . Findings yield implications for educational leadership research and preparation programs.

EFFECTIVENESS OF STORYTELLING IN TEACHING QUALITATIVE RESEARCH METHODS IN ZOOM MEETINGS: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY

The current study investigated how the teacher’s use of storytelling, among other strategies, for teaching qualitative research affected the learning experiences of research students in the Zoom classroom. This study assumes that the ability to learn through dialogic interactions between people, materials, and objects is crucial to the success of the process. Semi-structured interviews were conducted for data collection from ten MPhil (Educational Leadership and Management) research scholars at a private university. The results found storytelling to be a highly effective tool in producing reflective learning outcomes in the research class. In addition, storytelling prevented research students from being distracted in class. Moreover, digital storytelling helped research scholars build in-depth knowledge and skills of various aspects of qualitative research methods. Keywords: Reflective learning, Qualitative research, Storytelling methodology, engagement and motivation, Higher education.

Extending the scope of leadership identity development.

This article addresses the limitations of the existing leadership identity development literature and offers suggestions for extending the scope of knowledge and understanding of the topic to evolve leadership education research and practice. Authors suggest utilizing multi-level, complexity, and systems views in the study of leadership identity development as a way to explore beyond constructivist, individual-focused conventions that undergird the extant literature. It concludes with considerations for leadership educators to explore in efforts to expand and evolve their teaching, research, and practice related to leadership identity development.

Interplay between leadership and school-level conditions: A review of literature on the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS)

We combined network analysis and meta-analysis to systematically review the literature on the Teaching and Learning International Survey, focusing on the interplay between leadership practices and school-level conditions. Our initial network analysis utilized 83 nodes (variables in the reviewed studies) and 214 ties (variable associations), whereas our subsequent meta-analysis employed 21 selected variable associations. Results suggested that leadership practices interplayed with school-level conditions through multiple, interconnected variable associations with a range of effect sizes. First, variables concerning teacher working conditions and teacher qualifications indicated relatively smaller effects than teacher self-efficacy. Second, the association between teacher self-efficacy and teacher collaboration indicated the strongest effect among other variable associations, followed by the relationship between collective teacher perceptions of distributed leadership and teacher job satisfaction. Third, variables regarding teacher perceptions of the principal's leadership effectiveness had larger effect sizes than the principal's self-assessment of their leadership practices. Results further suggested teacher self-efficacy and teacher collaboration as the two most prominent variables that would potentially play a bridging role between leadership practices and school-level conditions. We provide implications for educational leadership practices and research.

The Case Study of Islamic-Education Leadership Model: What We Can Learn from the Dynamics of Principals’ Leadership in Indonesian Excellence Islamic Boarding-Schools

Educational leadership research has been more oriented toward western theories and contexts, ignoring the contextual conditions that shape leadership styles and characteristics. Whereas some ideas analyze that leadership is inseparable from context and is more appropriate according to the setting of a particular society. This study aims to avoid bias when interpreting leadership patterns by finding a concept of Islamic leadership in the field of Education. This research was conducted using qualitative research methods with a case study approach. The participants of the study were two principals and five academic staff in two well-known excellent Islamic senior high schools which become school models pointed out by MORA Indonesia. The data validity checking technique was done by credibility test including method triangulation namely using direct interviews, observations, online surveys, and data sources triangulation using participative observations, school archives, field notes, photos, and video documentation while the researchers were at the location. Triangulation is used to check data from various sources in various ways. Study results showed that the principal's leadership pattern implemented Islamic religious values and the context of the society. Indonesia is predominantly Muslim, where Islamic-based education has been facilitated by the state and included in the policy system, so the findings can be considered when carrying out educational management based on Islamic values.

On Being Ed Emcees: Toward Hip-Hop Educational Leadership Theory, Research, and Praxis

ABSTRACT Advocating for the advancement of hip-hop based education, critical qualitative research, and leadership for educational equity, I explain a theory of hip-hop educational leadership and discuss findings from my hip-hopography of hip-hop educational leaders who are spoken word artists, poets, rappers, or emcees and serve as community partners inside urban high schools across the United States. Using blackout poetic transcription to analyze data, I suggest that these individuals can be called educational emcees, who invoke love as a condition for learning and engagement in their schools through a series of meaningful practices. These individuals also embody poetry and spoken word as an organic hip-hop pedagogy. Opportunities for additional qualitative research about hip-hop educational leadership and educational emcees are presented, along with implications for education leadership preparation, recruitment, and development.

A Review of the Current Trends Related to Educational Leadership Research in the U.S.

A Review of the Current Trends Related to Educational Leadership Research in the U.S.

Researching higher education leadership and management in Arab countries: A systematic review

The present study aims to review higher education leadership and management (HELM) research in the Arab region. The study employed systematic review methods to analyze 77 articles published in educational leadership and management journals, higher education journals, and journals indexed in the Scopus database between 2000 and 2020. The analysis focused on identifying the main features and trends found in the articles including the development of publication volume over time, geographical distribution, types of studies, research topics, and research methods. Quantitative methods were used to analyze the data. The features identified echoed those reported for the broader educational leadership and management literature in Arab societies such as the relatively small size of the knowledge base, uneven geographical distribution, the predominance of empirical, quantitative studies, and high emphasis on leadership as a research topic. The findings are discussed in the light of relevant literature, and recommendations are provided to improve future HELM research in the region.

Principal–teacher relationships: Dimensionality and measurement invariance of a measure for primary and secondary school teachers

This study explored the dimensionality and measurement invariance of a multidimensional measure for evaluating teachers’ perceptions of the quality of their relationships with principals at the dyadic level. Participants were 630 teachers (85.9% female) from 220 primary and 204 secondary schools across the Netherlands. Teachers completed the 10-item Principal–Teacher Relationship Scale (PTRS) for their principals. Confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) provided evidence for a two-factor model, including a relational Closeness and Conflict dimension. Additionally, multigroup CFA results indicated strong invariance of the PTRS across school type, teacher gender, and teaching experience. Last, secondary school teachers and highly experienced teachers reported lower levels of Closeness and higher levels of Conflict in the relationship with their principal compared to primary school teachers and colleagues with less experience. Accordingly, the PTRS can be considered a valid and reliable measure that adds to the methodological repertoire of educational leadership research by focusing on both positive and negative aspects of dyadic principal–teacher relationships.

Bringing clarity to the leadership of teaching and learning in higher education: a systematic review

PurposeThe study aims to investigate the state of higher education (HE) leadership research after the intensified focus on teaching and learning (TL) in academia.Design/methodology/approachThe authors clarify the use of key concepts in English-medium empirical journal articles published between 2017 and 2021 by analysing 64 publications through qualitative content analysis.FindingsThe analysed papers on leadership of TL in HE activate a number of concepts, the commonest concepts being academic leadership, distributed leadership, educational leadership, transformational leadership, leadership and transformative leadership. Even if the papers highlight partly overlapping aspects of leadership, the study finds a rationale for the use of several concepts in the HE context. Contrary to the expectation raised in earlier scholarship, no holistic framework evolves from within the recent research to reveal the contribution that leadership of TL makes to leadership in HE generally.Research limitations/implicationsLimitations: Nearly 40 per cent of the analysed articles are from the United States of America (USA), United Kingdom (UK), Australia and Canada, which leaves large areas of the world aside. Implications: The found geographical incoherence might be remediated and the research of leadership of TL in HE generally led forward by widening the cultural and situational diversity in the field.Originality/valueThis research contributes to an enhanced understanding of the field of leadership in TL in HE in that it frames the concepts used in recent research and makes the differences, similarities and rationale between concepts visible.

Creating Our Own Spaces: Disruptive Approaches to Educational Leadership Research

Our work seeks to reflexively make visible the blurring of binary markers at the intersection of our research, sexuality, gender, and professional socialization as a necessary disruption to liberate our intersectional possibilities in the making. We argue the queering of educational leadership is met by the intimate and layered experiences of identity dismemberment operating to tarnish, devalue, and displace the wealth of intersectional knowledge. The ultimate goal is to subjugate the researcher; to trace a stencil of a binary identity whereby the image of the non-binary cannot be conjured as contributors to epistemology, theory, methodology, pedagogy, leadership, or practice. We utilize testimonios to interrogate how these lines were drawn from the everyday of academic life to blur the binary; to conjure the queer in every nook and cranny of experiences until the reification of whiteness, patriarchy, and sexuality is made a mess from which prescribed lines can no longer be drawn. We assert the toll of securing this “way” positioned us in a binary, more often than not, to research about queerness without any overlap in the praxis of queerness in the relationships, institutions, and teaching that guard the landscape of “being” in Educational Leadership. In doing so, we position the (re)membering of our identities at the intersection of Queer and Chicana Feminist theoretical perspectives to theorize a third space to heal and build a leadership practice in our image.

A Systematic Review of Methodological Approaches in Educational Leadership Research from 2016 to 2019

A Systematic Review of Methodological Approaches in Educational Leadership Research from 2016 to 2019