A systematic review of educational leadership and management research in Turkey

2019 ◽  
Vol 57 (6) ◽  
pp. 731-747 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mehmet Şükrü Bellibaş ◽  
Sedat Gümüş
Keyword(s):  
Educational Leadership ◽  
School Improvement ◽  
Mixed Method ◽  
Educational Administration ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Recent Effort ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Leadership And Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
School Principalship

Purpose While the current knowledge in the field of educational leadership and management (EDLM) has been primarily based on research produced in English-speaking Western societies, there have been significant efforts by other societies to contribute to the knowledge production, especially during the past decade. The purpose of this paper is to identify the contribution of Turkey to the international EDLM literature by investigating the topical focus, conceptual frameworks and research designs of papers published by EDLM scholars from Turkey. Design/methodology/approach Descriptive content analysis method was employed to examine 315 empirical, review, conceptual and commentary papers published by Turkish scholars in core educational administration and Web of Science journals. The time period of the review left open-ended. However, in practical terms, it begins in the year 1994 when the first article from Turkey was published in any of the selected sources and ends at the end of 2018. Information relevant to the research was extracted from each article and was coded to facilitate quantitative analysis. Using Excel software, descriptive statistics including frequencies and percentages were provided for each research question. Findings Results show that Turkish EDLM scholars mostly rely on survey based quantitative research approach, employing advanced statistical techniques in the analysis of the data. However, mixed method and qualitative studies are relatively less common. Organizational behavior, school leadership and emotions stand out as most frequently used topics, while Turkish scholars are not interested in analyzing the educational outcomes such as student achievement and school improvement. Consistent with the findings related to topical foci, a large number of those who were interested in correlational studies examined the relationship between leadership roles and organizational behaviors. Research limitations/implications The data set only included journal articles and excluded conference proceedings, books and theses/dissertations. Nevertheless, the authors believe this review adds significantly to previous reviews of local EDLM journals conducted by Turkish scholars. The authors concluded that the Turkish scholars should direct their future research to exploring and better understanding the practices of Turkish principals in schools by: diversifying their research topics; incorporating more qualitative and mixed-method designs; and taking into account specific features of the culture and educational system in Turkey. Practical implications Based on the current higher education context, reducing scholars’ teaching load, diversifying research funding opportunities, and modifying access to tenure tracks seem necessary interventions to support EDLM research with strong ties to practice and to the sociocultural context. In addition, policy changes aiming professionalization of administrative positions and establishing some forms of formal training for school principalship are needed. Such changes can help transfer the knowledge produced by the Turkish EDLM researchers to the practice and provide solutions to problems related to school administration. Originality/value This paper will add to recent effort to identify how a developing nation outside Western perspective approaches the field, and contributes to the global knowledge base.

Supporting instructional leadership and school improvement? Reflections on school supervision from a German perspective

2019 ◽  
Vol 57 (5) ◽  
pp. 571-581 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierre Tulowitzki
Keyword(s):  
Educational Leadership ◽  
School Improvement ◽  
School Leadership ◽  
Educational Administration ◽  
Building Blocks ◽  
Training And Development ◽  
Content Type ◽  
School Supervision ◽  
School Principalship ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The purpose of this contribution is to draw on several recent contributions from the Journal of Educational Administration to reflect on the relationship between school supervision and educational leadership. Design/methodology/approach The German context of school supervision was first laid out. A comparative analysis of all contributions was then performed against the backdrop of the German context. Findings One finding from the analysis of the relationship between school supervision and educational leadership from a German perspective is the need to have structures of (mandatory) further training and development in place at the level of school principalship and school supervision. These structures represent building blocks for capacity building and for shifting cultures over time. Without reliable vehicles of professional development for all concerned parties, both school supervisory authorities and principals risk staying stuck in old professional identities that no longer match their current missions or emergent national aspirations. Originality/value This paper sheds a light on the complex relationship between school supervision, school leadership and school performance. The findings from the papers analyzed for this paper point to issues which scholars have been pondering about for decades now: Can supervision and support be successfully implemented within one agency? How can a supervisory authority change its professional identity? What combination of supervision, support and space creates conditions favorable to successful educational leadership and school improvement?

Leading school change and improvement

2019 ◽  
Vol 57 (6) ◽  
pp. 635-657 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jasna Kovačević ◽  
Philip Hallinger
Keyword(s):  
School Improvement ◽  
Knowledge Base ◽  
Bibliometric Analysis ◽  
Educational Administration ◽  
School Change ◽  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
Intellectual Structure ◽  
Content Type ◽  
1960S And 1970S ◽  
Basic Features

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to quantitatively document and synthesize the knowledge base on leading school change and improvement (LSCI). Design/methodology/approach The authors employed bibliometric analysis to evaluate 1,613 SCOPUS-indexed documents on LSCI published between 1960 and the end of 2017. In addition to descriptive analysis of basic features of the knowledge base, the review also employed citation and co-citation analyses of authors, journals and documents. Author co-citation analysis (ACA) was used reveal the intellectual structure of the LSCI literature. Findings The growth trajectory of LSCI research began with low levels of publication during the 1960s and 1970s, followed by steady and then accelerating growth in subsequent decades. Citation analyses highlighted key journals, authors and documents in this field, while ACA identified four research streams or Schools of Thought that comprise the LSCI knowledge base: transformational leadership for school improvement, instructional leadership for school improvement, shared leadership for change and school improvement, school improvement. Originality/value The review offers empirical documentation of the changing intellectual structure of the one of the key lines of inquiry that emerged in the field of educational administration over the past six decades. More broadly, the review illustrates the benefits of bibliometric analysis as a tool capable of illuminating critical features that bear upon knowledge accumulation in a line of inquiry, or a broader discipline.

Leadership/management factors impact on employee engagement and discretionary effort

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-64
Author(s):  
Jalleh Sharafizad ◽  
Janice Redmond ◽  
Robyn Morris
Keyword(s):  
Employee Engagement ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Current View ◽  
Recent Effort ◽  
Review Of The Literature ◽  
Research Gaps ◽  
Leadership And Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Discretionary Effort ◽  
Management Factors

Purpose There is strong and growing evidence of the importance of leadership and management factors influence on employee engagement and discretionary effort. However, the problem is that there has been limited recent effort to review where research gaps exit and provide a direction to guide future research. The purpose of this paper is to provide an integrated perspective on the influence of leadership and management factors on employee engagement and discretionary effort. Design/methodology/approach The review of the literature includes empirical research and case studies related to employee engagement and discretionary effort from various databases such as Business Premier, Cambridge University Press, JSTOR, Springer, Emerald, Wiley, ProQuest and ISI Web of Science. Supporting material was also accessed from reference books regarding similar concepts and theories. Findings The review provides a current view of the key topics, identifies three key research gaps, suggests a refined, up-to-date definition of both employee engagement and discretionary effort, and proposes a conceptual framework to inform future research. In doing so, it offers new directions for progressing studies on these critical workplace practices and behaviours particularly the inclusion of national culture as a moderating variable when investigating or implementing employee engagement and discretionary effort strategies. Research limitations/implications Findings are based on existing literature and require empirical testing. Practical and theoretical implications are discussed. Originality/value Undertaking a review of the literature is an important part of any research and this review aims to organise, describe and appraise the current literature with a view to gaining a critical perspective for the benefit of researchers.

Assessing and strengthening instructional leadership among primary school principals in Vietnam

2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 396-415 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hảo Thi Nguyễn ◽  
Philip Hallinger ◽  
Chia Wen Chen
Keyword(s):  
Educational Leadership ◽  
Instructional Leadership ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Leadership Practices ◽  
School Principals ◽  
Leadership And Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Primary School Principals ◽  
Principal Instructional Leadership

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to add to an emerging literature on educational leadership and management in Vietnam by addressing several goals. First, the study sought to translate, adapt, and validate an existing measurement instrument, the Principal Instructional Management Rating Scale (PIMRS) Teacher Form, for use in Vietnam. Next, it aimed to describe patterns of instructional leadership evidenced among a sample of urban and rural primary school principals. Then, the researchers examined if these patterns of principal instructional leadership could be linked to one or more “antecedent variables”: school size, school location (urban/rural), principal’s gender and prior teaching experience. Finally, the paper sought insights from principals and teachers on how instructional leadership could be strengthened in the Vietnamese education context. Design/methodology/approach Both quantitative survey and qualitative methods were used in this study. The sample consisted of 569 teachers and 117 principals working in 117 primary schools located in Ho Chi Minh province of Vietnam. Data collection employed a translated and adapted Vietnamese language form of the PIMRS Teacher Form. An open-ended question posed to both teachers and principals was included in the survey instrument to gather recommendations for strengthening instructional leadership in Vietnam. The research used Rasch analysis, Cronbach’s test of internal consistency, confirmatory factor analysis, t-tests, and analysis of variance in data analysis. Findings The research achieved a preliminary validation of a Vietnamese language Teacher Form of the PIMRS. The analysis of PIMRS data gathered from teachers found that the primary school principals were perceived to be exercising instructional leadership at a surprisingly high level. Consistent with international research findings, selected evidence indicated stronger instructional leadership from the female principals, though the pattern was not strong. None of the other antecedents evidenced a significant relationship with patterns of principal instructional leadership. A number of overlapping recommendations were made by teachers and principals for strengthening instructional leadership in Vietnam. Research limitations/implications Although a Teacher Form of the PIMRS Vietnam was successfully validated, follow-up studies should be conducted with both the Teacher Form and Principal Form of this instrument. More broadly, the high scores on the PIMRS accorded to the principals in this study were deemed “surprising” in light of the lack of prior policy focus and training on this role of the principal in Vietnam. Thus, the authors recommend that this research be extended to a larger cross-level study of schools from different parts of Vietnam in order to provide additional confirmation of these preliminary findings. Practical implications Feedback from principals and teachers indicated a need for system leaders to articulate instructional leadership more explicitly as part of the principal’s role set in Vietnam. Only then will it become part of the formal expectations that shape principals’ practice and the preparation and professional development programs in which they participate. The principals also suggested that instructional leadership could be strengthened by enabling model principals to share instructional leadership practices with colleagues. Finally, teachers and principals highlighted the need to broaden, legitimate, and strengthen sources of instructional leadership within the school beyond the principal. These suggestions are not only consistent with policy actions taken in other societies, but are also grounded in the context of education in Vietnam. Originality/value The first internationally published study of educational leadership and management in Vietnam only appeared in 2012. In the succeeding years, several qualitative studies have emerged describing principal leadership practices in a handful of schools. The current study represents the first published quantitative study of school leadership from Vietnam. Although the results are preliminary in nature, the study provides both baseline data on principal instructional leadership and a validated instrument that can be used in future research.

Science mapping the knowledge base in educational leadership and management: A longitudinal bibliometric analysis, 1960 to 2018

2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip Hallinger ◽  
Jasna Kovačević
Keyword(s):  
Educational Leadership ◽  
School Improvement ◽  
Knowledge Base ◽  
Citation Analysis ◽  
School Effectiveness ◽  
Intellectual Structure ◽  
Science Mapping ◽  
Leadership And Management ◽  
Leadership For Learning ◽  
1960S And 1970S

This review employed science mapping methods to analyze the evolution of the knowledge base in educational leadership and management from 1960 to 2018. Descriptive trend analysis, citation analysis, co-citation analysis, and visualization of similarities were used to document growth and change in the ‘intellectual structure’ of the educational leadership and management knowledge base as it evolved through the decades. The review analyzed a database comprised of 22,492 articles published in 21 Scopus-indexed journals over six decades. The authors found that contributions to the knowledge base have evolved from primarily Anglo-American male scholars up until 2000 to increasing gender and geographic diversity in the past 20 years. The review identified several ‘schools of thought’ that emerged across four generations of EDLM scholarship. These include: Leadership for Learning, Leading Change, Leading Teachers, and School Effectiveness and School Improvement. The review also documented a broader evolution in the field’s intellectual structure from a focus on ‘administration’ during the 1960s and 1970s to the embrace of ‘leadership for learning’ as the dominant theme during recent generations. This paradigm shift has not only reshaped the focus of research but also the identity of educational leadership and management as a field of study.

Flourishing in adaptive community: balancing structures and flexibilities

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 123-136 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabre Cherkowski ◽  
Kelly Hanson ◽  
Keith Walker
Keyword(s):  
School Improvement ◽  
Well Being ◽  
System Level ◽  
Fundamental Aspect ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Organizational Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Research And Practice ◽  
Research Activities

Purpose This paper documents findings from a qualitative research project on flourishing in schools using a positive organizational research approach. The purpose of this paper is to uncover and bring to description educators’ experiences of the conditions, forces and influencing factors for flourishing in their context. The main objectives were to inform research and practice in school improvement from a positive perspective, provide knowledge and practice about noticing and growing well-being for educators and to encourage an attention on individual and collective well-being as an organizational imperative. Design/methodology/approach To gain a rich description of what it means for educators to feel a sense of flourishing in their work, the researchers used qualitative, case study methods and appreciative research activities. For the case study reported on in this paper, data were collected through open-ended, appreciative, focus group conversations and researcher observations in the participants’ classrooms. Conversations were recorded and transcribed. The researchers analyzed the transcripts using an iterative process of coding, categorizing and abstracting data. Findings Participants grew their adaptive communities through balancing structures (collaboration, purpose, administrator support) with flexibilities (synergy, creativity, tinkering, friendships) for adaptation and co-creation. Well-being was connected with feeling collegial support, care, shared meaning and engagement and where positive relationships were central in their work. These relational conditions seemed to contribute to building a social container that promoted flourishing. This led to innovation as teachers worked together in ways that promoted their learning and growth as a group, and increased their sense of vitality in their work. The researchers found that the principal plays a vital role in fostering, encouraging and sustaining conditions for teachers to cultivate adaptive community. Research limitations/implications While small in scale and not generalizable across contexts, this research offers particular examples of what is working well for these teachers. Insights from these examples are intended to be generative, potentially resonating with and inspiring others to examine the possible benefits and potentials that may come from a positive approach to research and practice in school improvement in their own contexts. Engaging in positive organizational research in schools led to new insights on the work of teaching, learning and leading in schools. The researchers suggest that this positive, appreciative and generative perspective offers potentials and benefits for new understandings on school improvement. Practical implications The findings from this case study indicate that more attention is needed to supporting educators to cultivate the conditions necessary to experience rich and meaningful relationships within which they will thrive, grow and innovate in their teaching. At a system level, the authors argue for a re-orientation of schools toward well-being and a more holistic and human-development perspective on schooling. Social implications Currently and internationally, schooling is under re-design as the authors learn more about the need to organize the schools in ways that encourage the kinds of teaching and learning necessary to prepare young people for an increasingly unpredictable future. The findings from this study highlight the importance of attending to teacher well-being as a fundamental aspect of encouraging the kind of teaching needed for the kinds of learning desired in schools across all contexts. Originality/value This case study provides the findings that illustrate the potential and benefits of research on school organizations from a positive organizational perspective. Additionally, this study is a reminder of the systemic nature of all living systems, such as schools, and the associated need to ensure well-being for all members of the learning community.

Is accounting education sufficiently sustainable?

2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 95-124 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vida Botes ◽  
Mary Low ◽  
James Chapman
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Mixed Method ◽  
Sustainability Education ◽  
Accounting Education ◽  
University Education ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
General Consensus ◽  
Current State ◽  
Accounting Courses

Purpose – This study aims to examine to what extent and how effective sustainability education has been at the tertiary accounting education level. The New Zealand (NZ) Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment identified that sustainability education, as part of university education, is important, though NZ universities currently perform poorly in this area. This study looks at the important issue of sustainability education in the context of the emerging field of ecological economics and new understanding in business role and function of society where accounting education represents the precondition in meeting the challenges successfully. Design/methodology/approach – A mixed method approach was used for this investigation combining quantitative and qualitative research methods to provide more depth to the analysis. Both interviews and online surveys were conducted to determine the perceptions held by both academics and graduates, of the extent and adequacy of sustainability education with NZ university degrees. An extensive review of the literature and the overview of the web sites of the different universities formed the qualitative part of the mixed method research approach to the investigation to determine the state of sustainability education in accounting courses at NZ universities. Findings – There were mixed views on the current state of sustainability education within NZ university accounting courses. Although there was a general consensus with both groups of participants that a start has been made, the integration is not wide enough and the sustainability education is not in sufficient depth. There were mixed feelings regarding the role that accountants should play in sustainability reporting; however, there was a general consensus around the fact that accountants do have a role to play. Both groups of participants indicated that it is important for sustainability education to be included in accounting courses at NZ universities. Based on the research findings, it appears that universities have to maintain or provide an optional higher undergraduate or post-graduate level paper in sustainability accounting. Evidence from lecturers' personal experience suggest that these courses better develop a student's knowledge of sustainability as they have time to take an interdisciplinary approach to teaching and take a look at “big issues” like how accounting can either support or hinder sustainability directions for businesses and society. Originality/value – The role that accounting educators play in integrating sustainability education at universities has been a contentious issue with a seemingly large gap between what research has defined as best education practice and what is currently being taught around the world. Although sustainability has formed the subject of extensive research over a number of years, there has been no work performed on the current state of sustainability education in accounting courses at NZ universities. Given the future challenges that NZ managers (and accountants) will face, it is important that universities which form a vital part of NZ society, equip managers (and accountants) to meet these demands. This study on perceptions of different stakeholders in relation to education for sustainable development, therefore, provides really important arguments for why there has to be further developments in this crucial area. The findings indicate that sustainability education by accounting educators is on a very much ad hoc basis. Further research needs to be conducted to drive better educational directions in sustainable development in universities.

Discourse analysis and the study of educational leadership

2015 ◽  
Vol 29 (7) ◽  
pp. 807-818 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary Anderson ◽  
Angus Shiva Mungal
Keyword(s):  
Discourse Analysis ◽  
Educational Leadership ◽  
Educational Administration ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Past Work ◽  
Discourse Practice

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the current and past work using discourse analysis in the field of educational administration and of discourse analysis as a methodology. Design/methodology/approach – Authors reviewed research in educational leadership that uses discourse analysis as a methodology. Findings – While discourse analysis has been used in the field, little work has been done that explores “leadership” as a discourse practice. Originality/value – Increased use of discourse analysis in the field might unearth the ways principals and superintendents are creators of discourse and mediators of the discourses of others.

Aligning operational practices to competitive strategies to enhance the performance of Indian manufacturing firms

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Saumyaranjan Sahoo
Keyword(s):  
Competitive Strategy ◽  
Manufacturing Firms ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Total Quality ◽  
Strategic Choices ◽  
Competitive Strategies ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Operational Practices ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThe main purpose of this study is to understand how collective operational practices are adapted or stimulated by a firm's competitive strategy.Design/methodology/approachThis study employed a data set drawn from 124 plant managers and directors of Indian manufacturing firms. Multiple regression was used to examine the impact of operational practices of lean, total quality management (TQM) and supply chain management (SCM) within competitive clusters of cost leadership, differentiation and focus strategy.FindingsResults of the study show that the pattern of impact of operational practices on firm's performance varies according to type of the competitive strategy employed. All the three competitive strategy clusters have reported that TQM is the most important trigger for Indian manufacturing firms with relative effect of TQM practices on firm's performance being higher than that of lean and SCM practices.Research limitations/implicationsCross-sectional data from Indian manufacturing firms were used, and it would be interesting to test the analytical framework of the study for more sectors and countries. Future studies can take a longitudinal research approach to strengthen the findings of the study.Practical implicationsThe findings explain how operational practices are aligned with competitive strategies for practitioners so that they can assign limited resources to build diverse operational capabilities based on their strategic choices.Originality/valueAlthough very few classical studies are reported in various contexts involving competitive strategy, operational practices and firm's performance, no existing study focuses on how these three domains are linked together in the context of Indian manufacturing sector.

scholarly journals Principals as Managers and Leaders: A Qualitative Study of the Perspectives of Selected Elementary School Principals

1998 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 137-170 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dean S. T. Cascadden
Keyword(s):  
Elementary School ◽  
Elementary School Principals ◽  
Educational Administration ◽  
School Principals ◽  
Visionary Leadership ◽  
Leadership And Management ◽  
Democratic Leadership ◽  
Being There ◽  
School Principalship

The primary purpose of this study was to explore how selected elementary school principals described and defined their work in terms of leadership and management. There were three subareas of investigation under this primary purpose: a) exploring the principals’ conceptions about the constructs of leadership and management; b) exploring the principals’ beliefs about the role of their personal philosophies, goals, or values in relation to their practice; and c) using content analysis to explore the language that principals used to describe themselves, their work, and their schools. Thetheoretical perspective adopted for this study was that organizations are constructed, human, social entities, and the focus of this study was to describe the role of the elementary school principalfrom the perspective and voice of the participants. The data collection was accomplished using semistructured interviews of eight selected elementary school principals. Results consist of the principals’ stories (hermeneutic) and analyses (dialectic), generating common themes and patterns. Four major issues were identified and discussed: a) role conflicts, b) “being there,” c) evolving from managers to leaders, and d) balancing culture and distributed decision making. These themes were alsodiscussed in relation to the existing literature on leadership, management, and the elementary school principalship. The paper concludes with a discussion of the implications of this study for educational administration focusing on a) the contrast of visionary leadership and democratic leadership, b) the role of theory in administrator preparation, and c) implications for practice—a personal postscript.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document