Leadership in Focus - A Scoping Review on the Role of School Leadership in German School Development Research

As pivotal gatekeepers to educational systems and essential drivers of school development processes, school leaders play a transformative role in shaping the trajectory of educational institutions. In the past, the field of educational leadership research has predominantly been shaped by extensive Anglo-American studies, primarily investigating the effectiveness of school leadership in educational institutions (e.g., Hallinger, 2013). This is problematic as the roles, responsibilities, and scope for action of school leaders depend largely on the macro-context of the educational systems they act within. In the German context, school leaders historically take on multiple tasks as they often contend with overlapping roles as both part-time teachers and leaders (Klein, 2016). Moreover, the prevailing normative or normative-analytical studies in the domain of school leadership research in German language frequently lack a solid theoretical foundation (Johannmeyer & Cramer, 2023). It is likely that the predominant management-oriented theories of leadership cannot be directly transferred to the German discourse.
This scoping review addresses this research gap by conducting a comprehensive examination of German literature on the role of school leadership in school development and discussing the findings in an international perspective. ... mehrThrough a systematic review of peer-reviewed literature, our objective is to consolidate existing knowledge and identify the imperative for more robust theoretical and empirical frameworks, with a particular emphasis on considering the specific macro-context of the German educational landscape. This synthesis is pivotal for the development of models that can effectively contribute both specifically to the German discourse and insights for school leaders in their daily activities as well as more broadly in the sense of knowledge-building to the international discourse on school leadership research.
The methodology employed for this study adheres to explicit methods outlined by Moher et al. (2009), utilizing a systematic scoping review approach (last date of search: November 23rd, 2023). This involved the identification, selection, critical appraisal, and data analysis of 14 relevant articles, comprising seven qualitative, five quantitative, one mixed-methods studies, and one theoretical paper. Geographically, the studies include 10 German samples, one Austrian sample, one Swiss sample, along with one study comparing German and Swiss school leaders, and another comparing German and US-American school leadership, revealing a diverse and multifaceted landscape in the research literature. We are currently analyzing the data based on thematic analysis following the framework outlined by Braun and Clarke (2006), providing a deeper understanding of emerging patterns and themes within the selected literature.
Initial findings highlight a shift in research focus and acknowledgment of implementing managerial tools in a field that has historically grown from a pedagogical role. Differences between school types, sizes and variations in the autonomy of individual schools underscore the complexities in defining the (scope of) activities school leaders in Germany are responsible for (e.g. Klein, 2016). The New Public Management movement and its associated orientation towards evidence-based school development (e.g., ICILS, PISA or standardized national tests) have begun shaping research on school leadership in the German-speaking region (e.g. Altrichter et al., 2012). While staff development is often clearly defined as part of the responsibilities of school leaders in the Anglo-American discourse, German school leaders have only recently perceived this task as a distinct area of their duties (e.g. Braun et al., 2018; Voigt & Engel, 2018). Additionally, we identified the perceived acceptance of school leadership within the faculty as influencing the role and agency of school leadership within school development processes (e.g. Klein, 2016; Voigt & Engel, 2018). In considering societal processes such as the ongoing digital transformation (Tulowitzki & Gerick, 2020), the role of school leaders is evolving, and our findings highlight the need for a professionalization of this key position within schools. Following Johannmeyer & Cramer (2023) we raise questions of the Zeitgeist of the formal qualification of school leaders in different macro-contexts and how this relates to school development and quality of education. In addition, we critically reflect the suitability of predominantly management-oriented research and theoretical approaches from the Anglo-American context for the (necessary) professionalization of school leaders in alternative macro-contexts for successful school development.
References
Altrichter, H., Kemethofer, D. & Leitgöb, H. (2012). Ansätze der Systemsteuerung in der Einschätzung von Schulleitern [Approaches to System Control in the Assessment of School Leaders]. Empirische Pädagogik, 26, 12-32.
Braun, V. & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77-101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
Braun, A., Weiß, S. & Kiel, E. (2018). Interkulturelle Schulentwicklung an Grundschulen [Intercultural School Development in Primary Schools]. Zeitschrift für Bildungsforschung, 8, 121–135. https://doi.org/10.1007/s35834-018-0214-y
Hallinger, P. (2014). Reviewing Reviews of Research in Educational Leadership: An Empirical Assessment. Educational Administration Quarterly, 50(4), 539-576. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013161X13506594
Johannmeyer, K. & Cramer, C. (2023). Fortbildung von Schulleitungen in der Berufsbiografie. Programmanalyse zur Qualifizierung schulischer Führungspersonen [Professional development of school leaders in their professional biography. Programme analysis of their formal qualification]. Beiträge zur Lehrerinnen- und Lehrerbildung, 41(1), 136-150.
Klein, E. (2016). Schulleitungshandeln an staatlichen Schulen in Deutschland und den USA [School Leadership Practices in Public Schools in Germany and the USA]. Zeitschrift für Erziehungswissenschaften, 20, 61–87. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11618-016-0695-1
Moher, D., Liberati, A., Tetzlaff, J., Altman, D.G., (2009). Preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses: the PRISMA Statement. Open Medicine, 3(2): 123-130.
Tulowitzki, P. & Gerick, J. (2020). Schulleitung in der digitalisierten Welt. Empirische Befunde zum Schulmanagement [Educational Leadership in the Digitized World. Empirical Findings about School Management]. Die Deutsche Schule, 112(3), 324-337
Voigt, M. & Engel, I. (2018): Wie viel und welche unternehmerischen Kompetenzen brauchen Lehrkräfte und Schulleitungen? [How much and what entrepreneurial skills do teachers and school leaders need?] bwp@ Berufs- und Wirtschaftspädagogik – online, 35, 1-21.