Mapping the Landscape of School Leadership on Transformational, Instructional, and Distributed Leadership Styles of School Heads

Abstract

This bibliometric study mapped the field of school leadership, focusing on transformational, instructional, and distributed school leadership. Using the PRISMA Framework, 968 Scopus-indexed documents published from 1942 to 2026 were identified, screened, and analyzed. The study identified publication trends, the most cited authors and journals, country contributions, and emerging themes. Keyword analysis was also employed to identify keyword patterns. The findings showed a steady increase in publications on educational leadership, particularly a marked rise in publications from 2016 to 2025, indicating growing global interest in school leadership, especially transformational, instructional, and distributed school leadership. These three themes were strongly linked to teacher motivation, quality instruction, collaboration, and school improvement. The findings also indicated strong international collaboration, with growing contributions from Asian countries and emerging themes such as teacher well-being, ethical school leadership, and the professional development of school leaders. The findings had implications for future research and had the potential to inform policymakers, educational stakeholders, and practicing school leaders about what research revealed regarding transformational, instructional, and distributed school leadership. In particular, the findings served as a comprehensive synthesis of prevailing trends and themes, highlighting potential areas for future research. More humanistic and integrated approaches to school leadership emerged, emphasizing leadership practices that were collectively enacted within schools