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Journals / Research in Educational Administration and Leadership / 2026 / Volume: 11 Issue: 3

Higher Education Leadership in the Arab World: A Systematic Review of Empirical Evidence

Khalid Arar(Texas State University)0000-0003-4094-966X
Rania Sawalhi(The University of Jordan)0000-0002-6629-7607
Pages
—
Publication Date
2026-09-27
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AI Summary & Key Takeaways

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

The paper first presents an overall descriptive macro-outlook of study volume, geographic distribution, and trends, and then the main topical areas and themes, including governance policies, leadership styles, technology integration, social change, organizational culture, and research development, with subthemes for each.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

🎯
Objective & Hypothesis:This article systematically reviews empirical evidence on higher education leadership in the Arab World.
📊
Key Findings & Data:The review focused on empirical and conceptual studies published in peer-reviewed journals between 1980 and 2023.
💡
Conclusion & Impact:The paper first presents an overall descriptive macro-outlook of study volume, geographic distribution, and trends, and then the main topical areas and themes, including governance policies, leadership styles, technology integration, social change, organizational culture, and research development, with subthemes for each.
🔬Design:Review & Systematic Survey
📍Scope:2023 Verileri
⚙️Variables:Higher education · governance · leadership

Abstract

This article systematically reviews empirical evidence on higher education leadership in the Arab World. The review focused on empirical and conceptual studies published in peer-reviewed journals between 1980 and 2023. It drew on bibliographic data from Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus and followed the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines, including identifying data sources, the search strategy, data collection, eligibility criteria, data selection, and data analysis. We conducted a descriptive analysis to trace the development, volume, geographic distribution, and trends of research from a broad perspective, followed by a thematic analysis of the main topical areas. The paper first presents an overall descriptive macro-outlook of study volume, geographic distribution, and trends, and then the main topical areas and themes, including governance policies, leadership styles, technology integration, social change, organizational culture, and research development, with subthemes for each. The paper concludes with theoretical and methodological reflections on current research features and recommendations for a future research agenda, policy, governance, and how leadership can better catalyze and address the immediate context and global trends in higher education development.

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Cite This Article

Arar, K., Sawalhi, R. (2026). Higher Education Leadership in the Arab World: A Systematic Review of Empirical Evidence. Research in Educational Administration and Leadership, Volume: 11 Issue: 3. https://doi.org/10.30828/real.1997171

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