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Journals / Bartın Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi / 2026 / Issue: 3

Instructional Leadership in a Centralized Education System: Revisiting the Practice of School Principals

Müslim Alanoğlu(FIRAT ÜNİVERSİTESİ)0000-0003-1828-4593
Gürsen Vural(Ministry of National Education)0000-0002-2858-2845
Cihat Turan(Ministry of National Education)0000-0002-8464-6129
Zeliha Kuzgun(TC MİLLİ EĞİTİM BAKANLIĞI KONYA)0000-0001-9785-1810
Zülfü Demirtaş(FIRAT ÜNİVERSİTESİ)0000-0002-1072-5772
Pages
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Publication Date
2026-05-17
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AI Summary & Key Takeaways

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

Findings: The findings indicate that instructional leadership practices are concentrated in three main domains: defining the school mission, managing instructional processes, and developing learning environments.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

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Objective & Hypothesis:Purpose: This study examines teachers’ and school administrators’ views on principals’ instructional leadership roles and the effects of these roles on educational processes.
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Key Findings & Data:Method: Within the framework of a qualitative phenomenological research design, data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 20 participants and analyzed using thematic analysis.
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Conclusion & Impact:Findings: The findings indicate that instructional leadership practices are concentrated in three main domains: defining the school mission, managing instructional processes, and developing learning environments.
🔬Design:Research Article
📍Scope:Comprehensive Sample
⚙️Variables:leadership · instructional leadership · school administration

Abstract

Purpose: This study examines teachers’ and school administrators’ views on principals’ instructional leadership roles and the effects of these roles on educational processes. Method: Within the framework of a qualitative phenomenological research design, data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 20 participants and analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings: The findings indicate that instructional leadership practices are concentrated in three main domains: defining the school mission, managing instructional processes, and developing learning environments. Participants emphasized that principals support instructional practices, foster a positive school climate, and strengthen student-centered learning approaches. Instructional leadership was found to produce multilevel effects, including the strengthening of organizational culture at the school level, the enhancement of teacher motivation and professional development at the teacher level, and the improvement of learning outcomes at the student level. Conclusion: The findings reveal that instructional leadership should be addressed not only in terms of individual leadership competencies but also in conjunction with sustainable professional development opportunities, collaborative school cultures, and supportive educational policies. In this respect, the study contributes to understanding the contextual, relational, and multilevel nature of instructional leadership from the perspectives of teachers and school administrators.

Özet

Amaç: Bu çalışma, okul müdürlerinin öğretimsel liderlik rollerine ve bu rollerin eğitim süreçleri üzerindeki etkilerine ilişkin öğretmen ve okul yöneticilerinin görüşlerini incelemektedir. Yöntem: Nitel fenomenolojik araştırma deseni kapsamında, yarı yapılandırılmış görüşmeler yoluyla elde edilen veriler tematik analiz yöntemiyle çözümlenmiştir. Bulgular: Bulgular, öğretimsel liderlik uygulamalarının okul misyonunun belirlenmesi, öğretim süreçlerinin yönetimi ve öğrenme ortamlarının geliştirilmesi olmak üzere üç temel alanda yoğunlaştığını göstermektedir. Katılımcılar, okul müdürlerinin öğretim uygulamalarını desteklediğini, olumlu bir okul iklimi oluşturduğunu ve öğrenci merkezli öğrenme anlayışını güçlendirdiğini vurgulamıştır. Öğretimsel liderliğin; okul düzeyinde örgüt kültürünün güçlenmesi, öğretmen düzeyinde motivasyon ve mesleki gelişimin desteklenmesi, öğrenci düzeyinde ise öğrenme çıktılarının iyileştirilmesi gibi çok düzeyli etkiler yarattığı belirlenmiştir. Sonuç: Elde edilen bulgular, öğretimsel liderliğin yalnızca bireysel liderlik yeterlikleriyle değil; sürdürülebilir mesleki gelişim olanakları, işbirliğine dayalı okul kültürleri ve destekleyici eğitim politikalarıyla birlikte ele alınması gerektiğini ortaya koymaktadır. Bu yönüyle çalışma, öğretimsel liderliğin bağlamsal, ilişkisel ve çok düzeyli yapısına öğretmen ve okul yöneticilerinin bakış açısından katkı sunmaktadır.

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Cite This Article

Alanoğlu, M., Vural, G., Turan, C., Kuzgun, Z., Demirtaş, Z. (2026). Instructional Leadership in a Centralized Education System: Revisiting the Practice of School Principals. Bartın Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, Issue: 3. https://doi.org/10.14686/buefad.1761858

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