Journals / Research in Educational Administration and Leadership / 2026 / Volume: 10 Issue: 3

Technological Leadership of Turkish Secondary School Administrators According to ISTE Standards

Nuh Yavuzalp(BOLU ABANT İZZET BAYSAL ÜNİVERSİTESİ)0000-0001-9275-275X
Duygu Kartal İncebacak(BOLU ABANT IZZET BAYSAL UNIVERSITY)0000-0001-6732-6572
Pages
—
Publication Date
2025-09-28
🏛️Bibliographic metadata and full text access for this article are provided via DergiPark.
DergiPark Record ↗
✨

AI Summary & Key Takeaways

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

The results indicate significant tensions between the centrally provided technological infrastructure and its practical implementation, as well as a notable gap between strategic planning and on-the-ground application.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

🎯
Objective & Hypothesis:In educational institutions, school administrators play an important leadership role in the effective and efficient implementation of technology integration.
📊
Key Findings & Data:This study aims to assess technological leadership characteristics of 33 public secondary school administrators in the Western Black Sea Region of Turkey based on ISTE standards.
💡
Conclusion & Impact:The results indicate significant tensions between the centrally provided technological infrastructure and its practical implementation, as well as a notable gap between strategic planning and on-the-ground application.
🔬Design:Research Article
📍Scope:Comprehensive Sample
⚙️Variables:ISTE standards · technological leadership · school administrator

Abstract

In educational institutions, school administrators play an important leadership role in the effective and efficient implementation of technology integration. The standards developed by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) provide a comprehensive framework to guide administrators in this area. This study aims to assess technological leadership characteristics of 33 public secondary school administrators in the Western Black Sea Region of Turkey based on ISTE standards. The data collected through a semi-structured interview form were analyzed using a case study approach. The findings, presented in a narrative synthesis under four main themes (technological structure, technological competencies, technological leadership and technological resources), were discussed within the framework of ISTE standards, revealing the factors that shape the leadership roles of school administrators. The results indicate significant tensions between the centrally provided technological infrastructure and its practical implementation, as well as a notable gap between strategic planning and on-the-ground application. Furthermore, teachers' varying competencies and the need for differentiated professional development were identified as critical elements for effective technology leadership. The study suggests that to enhance success, administrators must bridge the gap between planning and practice and foster a supportive school culture for all stakeholders.

🔖

Cite This Article

Yavuzalp, N., İncebacak, D. K. (2025). Technological Leadership of Turkish Secondary School Administrators According to ISTE Standards. Research in Educational Administration and Leadership, Volume: 10 Issue: 3. https://doi.org/10.30828/real.1631148

📄 Full Text PDF Viewer

📄

PDF görüntüleyici hazırlanıyor...

References (46)

  1. A’mar, F., & Eleyan, D. (2022). Effect of principal’s technology leadership on teacher’s technology integration. International Journal of Instruction, 15(1), 781–796. https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2022.15145a
  2. Adams, D. (2023). Artificial intelligence in educational leadership. International Online Journal of Educational Leadership, 7(1), 1–2. https://ejournal.um.edu.my/index.php/IOJEL/article/view/46590/16108
  3. Adams, D., & Thompson, P. (2025). Transforming School Leadership with Artificial Intelligence: Applications, Implications, and Future Directions. Leadership and Policy in Schools, 24(1), 77-89. https://doi.org/10.1080/15700763.2024.2411295
  4. Arar, K., Tlili, A., Salha, S., & Saiti, A. (2025). Rethinking School Leadership and Policy in the Digital AI Era. Leadership and Policy in Schools, 24(1), 1-3. https://doi.org/10.1080/15700763.2025.2454098
  5. Altunay, E. (2017). Teachers’ instructional leadership roles in classroom management. Balıkesir University The Journal of Social Sciences Institute, 20(37), 19-44. https://doi.org/10.31795/baunsobed.645166
  6. Anderson, R. E., & Dexter, S. L. (2005). School technology leadership: An empirical investigation of prevalence and effect. Educational Administration Quarterly, 41(1), 49–82. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013161X04269517
  7. Aurangzeb, W., Tahir, T., & Khan, K. (2019). An exploration of college principals’ technology leadership competency assessment. Global Social Sciences Review, 4(2), 222–230. https://doi.org/10.31703/gssr.2019(IV-II).29
  8. Author (2015). International Journal of Research in E-Learning.
  9. Bağlama, B., Evcimen, E., Altınay, F., Sharma, R. C., Tlili, A., Altınay, Z.,. & Çelebi, M. (2022). Analysis of digital leadership in school management and accessibility of animation-designed game-based learning for sustainability of education for children with special needs. Sustainability, 14(13), 7730. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14137730
  10. Banoğlu, K., Vanderlinde, R., & Çetin, M. (2016). Investigation of principals’ technology leadership profiles in the context of schools’ learning organization culture and ICT infrastructure: F@tih Project Schools vs. the others. Education and Science, 41(188). http://doi.org/10.15390/EB.2016.6618
  11. Banoğlu, K., Vanderlinde, R., Çetin, M., & Aesaert, K. (2022). Role of school principals’ technology leadership practices in building a learning organization culture in public K-12 schools. Journal of School Leadership, 33(1), 66-91. https://doi.org/10.1177/10526846221134010
  12. Bush, T. (2008). Leadership and management development in education. London: Sage. Chang, I.-H. (2012). The effect of principals’ technological leadership on teachers’ technological literacy and teaching effectiveness in Taiwanese elementary schools. Journal of Educational Technology & Society, 15(2), 328–340.
  13. Creswell, J.W. (2007). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
  14. Dexter, S. (2008). Leadership for IT in Schools. In: Voogt, J., Knezek, G. (Eds.), International Handbook of Information Technology in Primary and Secondary Education (pp. 543-554). New York: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-73315-9_32
  15. Dexter, S., & Richardson, J. W. (2020). What does technology integration research tell us about the leadership of technology? Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 52(1), 17–36. https://doi.org/10.1080/15391523.2019.1668316
  16. Ergin, O., İltaş, İ., Gülnar Çeliğ, C., Balcı, C., & Cerit, Ö. (2022). The relationship between school heads' democratic leadership behavior and school culture. International Journal of Social Humanities Sciences Research, 9(87), 1770. https://doi.org/10.26450/jshsr.3207
  17. Ertmer, P. A., & Ottenbreit-Leftwich, A. T. (2010). Teacher technology change: How knowledge, confidence, beliefs, and culture intersect. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 42(3), 255-284. https://doi.org/10.1080/15391523.2010.10782551
  18. Flanagan, L., & Jacobsen, M. (2003). Technology leadership for the twenty‐first century principal. Journal of Educational Administration, 41(2), 124–137.
  19. Gök, A., & Yıldırım, S. (2015). Investigation of FATİH Project within the scope of teachers, school administrators and YEGITEK administrators’ opinions: A multiple case study. Mersin University Journal of the Faculty of Education, 11(2), 339–352. https://dergipark.org.tr/en/download/article-file/161123
  20. Gupta, P. (2016). Roles and responsibilities of a school leader in technology integration. Retrieved from http://edtechreview.in/trends-insights/insights/2541-role-ofschool-leader-principal-in-school-technology
  21. Håkansson Lindqvist, M. (2019). School leaders’ practices for innovative use of digital technologies in schools. British Journal of Educational Technology, 50(3), 1226–1240. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.12782
  22. Hamzah, M. I. M., Juraime, F., & Mansor, A. N. (2016). Malaysian principals’ technology leadership practices and curriculum management. Creative Education, 7(7), 922–930. https://doi.org/10.4236/ce.2016.77096
  23. ISTE. (2023). ISTE Standards for Students, Educators, Education Leaders, and Coaches. International Society for Technology in Education. Retrieved from https://www.iste.org/
  24. Jameson, J. (2013). E-leadership in higher education: The fifth "age" of educational technology research. British Journal of Educational Technology, 44(6), 889–915. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.12103
  25. Karakose, T., Polat, H., & Papadakis, S. (2021). Examining teachers' perspectives on school principals' digital leadership roles and technology capabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sustainability, 13(23), 13448.
  26. Karlin, M., Ottenbreit-Leftwich, A., Ozogul, G., & Liao, Y. (2018). K-12 technology leaders: Reported practices of technology professional development planning, implementation, and evaluation. Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 18(4), 722–748.
  27. Lawless, K. A., & Pellegrino, J. W. (2007). Professional development in integrating technology into teaching and learning: Known, unknowns, and ways to pursue better questions and answers. Review of Educational Research, 77(4), 575-614. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654307309921
  28. Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. Sage.
  29. Minaz, M. B., Özel, Y., & Ay, M. (2022). The relationship between principals’ technological leadership competence and school effectiveness. Education Quarterly Reviews, 5(4), 39–57. https://doi.org/10.31014/aior.1993.05.04.570
  30. MoNE OGM. (2015). Turkish Education System and Secondary Education. https://ogm.meb.gov.tr/meb_iys_dosyalar/2017_06/13153013_TES_ve_ORTAYYRETYM_son10_2.pdf
  31. MoNE SGB. (2024). National Education Statistics Formal Education 2023/2024. https://sgb.meb.gov.tr/meb_iys_dosyalar/2024_10/11230736_meb_istatistikleri_orgun_egitim_2023_2024.pdf
  32. Paunil, L. O. V. (2024). The mediating effects of generational affiliation on the influence of principals’ digital leadership on teachers’ technological self-efficacy. International Journal of Multidisciplinary: Applied Business and Education Research, 5(4), 1250–1267. https://doi.org/10.11594/ijmaber.05.04.13
  33. Raman, A., & Shariff, S. (2018). Relationship Between Technology Leadership, ICT Facility, Competency, Commitments Towards Effectiveness of School Mangement Tasks in Schools. Pedagogia: Jurnal Pendidikan, 7(1), 4-11. https://doi.org/10.21070/pedagogia.v7i1.1292
  34. Raman, A., Thannimalai, R., & Ismail, S. N. (2019). Principals’ technology leadership and its effect on teachers’ technology integration in 21st-century classrooms. International Journal of Instruction, 12(4), 423–442. https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2019.12428a
  35. Richardson, J. W., Bathon, J., Flora, K. L., & Lewis, W. D. (2012). NETS·A scholarship: A review of published literature. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 45(2), 131–151. https://doi.org/10.1080/15391523.2012.10782600
  36. Santos, A. R., & Cajucom, R. L. (2020). Domains and standards of school leadership: Evaluation of tertiary school teachers. International Journal of Advanced Engineering, Management and Science, 6(3), 124-128. http://doi.org/10.22161/ijaems.63.4
  37. Schrum, L., & Levin, B. B. (2012). Evidence-Based Strategies for Leading 21st Century Schools. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
  38. Sheninger, E. (2019). Digital leadership: Changing paradigms for changing times. Corwin Press.
  39. Spillane, J. P., Halverson, R., & Diamond, J. B. (2001). Investigating school leadership practice: A distributed perspective. Educational Researcher, 30(3), 23-28. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X030003023
  40. Sterrett, W., & Richardson, J. W. (2019). The change-ready leadership of technology-savvy superintendents. Journal of Educational Administration, 57(3), 227–242. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEA-09-2018-0160
  41. Tondeur, J., van Braak, J., Siddiq, F., & Scherer, R. (2016). Time for a new approach to prepare future teachers for educational technology use. Computers and Education, 94, 134-125. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2015.11.009
  42. Turan, S., Polatcan, M. ve Cansoy, R. (2020). Technology Leadership in Turkish Schools: A Systematic Review. In
  43. Durnalı, M., (Ed.) (2020), Utilizing technologies, knowledge and smart systems in educational administration and leadership (pp. 59-79). Hershey, PA: IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-1408-5.ch004
  44. Yu, C., & Prince, D. L. (2016). Aspiring school administrators' perceived ability to meet technology standards and technological needs for professional development. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 48(4), 239–257. https://doi.org/10.1080/15391523.2016.1215168
  45. Yuting, Z., Adams, D., & Lee, K. C. S. (2022). The relationship between technology leadership and teacher ICT competency in higher education. Education and Information Technologies, 27, 10285-10307. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-022-11037-0
  46. Bağlama, B., Evcimen, E., Altınay, F., Sharma, R. C., Tlili, A., Altınay, Z.,. & Çelebi, M. (2022). Analysis of digital leadership in school management and accessibility of animation-designed game-based learning for sustainability of education for children with special needs. Sustainability, 14(13), 7730. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14137730