A systematic review of educational leadership theses in Turkey between 2000-2022

This study aims to systematically examine the postgraduate theses on instructional leadership in Turkey between 2000 and 2022. Instructional leadership focuses on the teaching process in schools, school management and student achievement. This study aims to analyze instructional leadership research in Turkey. For this purpose, theses published in Turkish universities were used as data sources. These data were searched using the keyword "instructional leadership" and 87 theses, which were found to be suitable for the purpose of the study and constituted the study group, were analyzed by systematic review method. The results of the analysis show that instructional leadership research in Turkey is largely centered in Istanbul and has increased over time. In addition, it was determined that these studies were generally conducted at the master's level and focused on school principals. It was observed that male researchers and consultants were more frequently involved in the studies. It was concluded that quantitative methodologies were frequently preferred and focused specifically on the instructional leadership behaviors of school principals. This systematic review suggests that instructional leadership research in Turkey is often quantitative and superficial, while there is a widespread acceptance that principals exhibit instructional leadership roles. Recommendations are largely abstract and focused on points that are not based on findings. According to the results of this study, instructional leadership research in Turkey needs to be diversified and examined in more depth. It is also suggested that future studies evaluating principals' instructional leadership roles should adopt a more qualitative and analytical approach. This will contribute to making the education system in Turkey more effective and sustainable.