This study combined bibliometric techniques and thematic analysis to calculate the meta-data of successful educational leadership documents published between 1980 and 2025. The present study involved 409 documents. Bibliometric methods allowed for delineating the descriptive trends, uncovering the underlying intellectual structure, identifying impactful themes and suggesting new research directions in successful educational leadership. Thematic analysis enabled revealing the thematic evolution of themes across three periods of its development. The combination of bibliometric techniques and a thematic analysis provided broader overviews and deeper insights into the historical, current and future development of successful educational leadership research.
*AbunaserFMEl-DinNSMSAl-FahadiRS (2025) Core competencies for school leaders: insights from educational experts. Frontiers in Education10: 1–11.
2.
AclandHBaneMJCohenDK, Jencks C, Gintis H, Heyns B, Smith M and Michelson S (1972) Inequality: A Reassessment of the Effect of Family and Schooling in America. New York: Basic Books.
3.
*AtoumYAtoomHAl-MagablehM, Shaqra RA, Alazzam S, Kariem AA and Rathwan A (2025) Facilitative leadership among public secondary school principals in Jerash Governorate and its relationship with teachers’ job involvement from their perspectives. Educational Process: International Journal17: 1–12.
4.
*BadcockAM (1980) Combinations of effective leadership styles in Victorian State High Schools. Journal of Educational Administration18: 55–68.
5.
*BlaseJBlaseJ (2000) Effective instructional leadership: Teachers’ perspectives on how principals promote teaching and learning in schools. Journal of Educational Administration38: 130–141.
6.
BrikaSKMAlgamdiACherguiK, Abdelmageed A, Khalil C, Adam AM and Rabia Z (2021) Quality of higher education: A bibliometric review study. Frontiers in Education6: 1–15.
7.
*BrymanA (2007) Effective leadership in higher education: A literature review. Studies in Higher Education (Dorchester-on-Thames)32: 693–710.
8.
Camarero-FiguerolaMCebrián-BernatGIranzo-GarcíaP andTierno-García JM (2022) School leadership practices, challenges and opportunities in Spain from key agents’ perspective. Cogent Social Sciences8: 1–23.
9.
ChenJJChengTJ (2022) Review of research on teacher emotion during 1985–2019: A descriptive quantitative analysis of knowledge production trends. European Journal of Psychology of Education37: 417–438.
10.
ChenJJLiuYLLeeJCK (2025) Neuroleadership is a miracle or a mirage: A bibliometric and comparative analysis between organisational neuroleadership and educational neuroleadership. Educational Management, Administration & Leadership53: 1–22.
11.
ChoudharyHBansalN (2022) Addressing digital divide through digital literacy training programs: A systematic literature review. Digital Education Review41: 224–248.
12.
CoboMJLópez-HerreraAGHerrera-ViedmaEand Herrera F (2011) Science mapping software tools: Review, analysis, and cooperative study among tools. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology62: 1382–1402.
13.
*ConstantinidesM (2023) Successful school leadership in New Zealand: A scoping review. Education Sciences13: 1189.
14.
*DalyBPResnikoffALitkeS (2025) Effective school leadership for supporting students’ mental health: Findings from a narrative literature review. Behavioral Sciences15: 36.
15.
*DavidG (2014) Successful school leadership across contexts and cultures. Leading & Managing20: 75–88.
DayC (2011) Successful school leadership: linking with learning and achievement. Maidenhead, England: Open University Press.
18.
DayCGorgenKSammonsP (2020) Successful school leadership.
19.
*DayCGuQSammonsP (2016) The impact of leadership on student outcomes: How successful school leaders use transformational and instructional strategies to make a difference. Educational Administration Quarterly52: 221–258.
20.
DayCGurrD (2014) Leading schools successfully: stories from the field. Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.
21.
DayCLeithwoodKA (2007) Successful principal leadership in times of change: an international perspective. Dordrecht: Springer Science+Business Media B.V.
22.
DayCSunJGriceC (2022) Research on successful school leadership. 62–72.
23.
*DayCWSammonsP (2013) Successful leadership: A review of the international literature.
24.
DinhamS (2005) Principal leadership for outstanding educational outcomes. Journal of Educational Administration43: 338–356.
25.
*DrysdaleLGurrD (2011) Theory and practice of successful school leadership in Australia. School Leadership & Management31: 355–368.
26.
FauserBCJMAdamsonGDBoivinJ, Chambers GM, de Geyter C, Dyer S, Inhorn MC, Schmidt L, Serour GI, Tarlatzis B and Zegers-Hochschild F (2024) Declining global fertility rates and the implications for family planning and family building: An IFFS consensus document based on a narrative review of the literature. Human Reproduction Update30: 153–173.
27.
*GhamrawiN (2023) Toward agenda 2030 in education: Policies and practices for effective school leadership. Educational Research for Policy and Practice22: 325–347.
28.
*GunnulfsenAE (2023) Conceptualizing successful school leadership in Norway: Political and cultural practices. Education Sciences14: 1–21.
29.
GunnulfsenAEJensenRMøllerJ (2022) Looking back and forward: A critical review of the history and future progress of the ISSPP. Journal of Educational Administration60: 5–20.
30.
*GurrDDrysdaleL (2022) International Perspectives on Successful School Leadership. Cham: Springer International Publishing. 1711–1738.
31.
*GurrDHudsonCMcFarlaneK, Reed CJ, Drysdale L, Goode H and Moreno B (2025) Context, leadership and school success: Australian suburban, rural and remote cases from the ISSPP. Journal of Educational Administration63: 1–16.
32.
GuthrieCSantosAVPEHendersonK, Henderson K, Norfolk-Beadle A, Fordham E and Baucal A (2022) Strengthening evaluation capacity to support the most at-risk schools and build school leadership.
33.
HallingerP (2019) Science mapping the knowledge base on educational leadership and management in Africa, 1960–2018. School Leadership & Management39: 537–560.
34.
HallingerPKovačevićJ (2022) Applying bibliometric review methods in education: Rationale, definitions, analytical techniques, and illustrations. In: International Encyclopedia of Education. 4th ed. UK: Elsevier Science, pp. 546–556.
35.
*HammadWHilalYYAl-HarthiK (2024) Conceptions of Effective Leadership: A Contextually Grounded Perspective of Omani School Principals. 1st ed. London, UK: Routledge, pp. 62–80.
36.
*HarrisA (2002) Effective leadership in schools facing challenging contexts. School Leadership & Management22: 15–26.
37.
*HarrisADayCHadfieldM (2003) Teachers’ perspectives on effective school leadership. Teachers and Teaching, Theory and Practice9: 67–77.
38.
HarrisAHopkinsD (2000) Introduction to special feature: Alternative perspectives on school improvement. School Organisation20: 9–14.
39.
HoodWWWilsonCS (2001) The literature of bibliometrics, scientometrics, and informetrics. Scientometrics52: 291–314.
40.
HopkinsD (2001) School improvement for real. London: Routledge.
41.
HopkinsDHarrisAJacksonD (1997) Understanding the school's capacity for development: Growth states and strategies. School Organisation17: 401–412.
42.
*JacobRGoddardRKimM, Miller R and Goddard Y (2014) Exploring the causal impact of the McREL balanced leadership program on leadership, principal efficacy, instructional climate, educator turnover, and student achievement. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis37: 314–332.
43.
JerrimJSimsS (2022) School accountability and teacher stress: International evidence from the OECD TALIS study. Educational Assessment, Evaluation and Accountability34: 5–32.
44.
*JohnsonLMoyiPYlimakiRM (2023) Successful school leadership in the USA: The role of context in core leadership practices. Education Sciences13: 68.
45.
*KaddouriMAtmaniKZeroualiA, Bakhtaoui I and Elkhir AAM (2025) Digital leadership and AI in higher education. Digital Leadership for Sustainable Higher Education. Hershey, PA: IGI Global Scientific Publishing, pp. 33–74.
46.
*KaratasSArslan DönmezSYörükT, Nur YÖZ, Gök R and Doğan A (2024) Teachers’ perceptions regarding effective school features and effective leadership qualifications of school principals in Turkey. SAGE Open:14: 1–12.
47.
*KhalifaM (2012) A Re-new-ed paradigm in successful urban school leadership: Principal as community leader. Educational Administration Quarterly48: 424–467.
48.
*KramerM (2023) More than a principal: Ubuntu at the heart of successful school leadership in the western cape. South African Journal of Education43: 1–10.
49.
*LeithwoodK (2023) The personal resources of successful leaders: A narrative review. Education Sciences13: 32.
50.
*LeithwoodKDayCSammonsP, Harris A and Hopkins D (2006) Successful School Leadership What it is and How it Influences Pupil Learning. Nottingham: DfES Publications.
51.
*LeithwoodKHarrisAHopkinsD (2008) Seven strong claims about successful school leadership. School Leadership & Management28: 27–42.
52.
*LeithwoodKHarrisAHopkinsD (2020) Seven strong claims about successful school leadership revisited. School Leadership & Management40: 5–22.
53.
LeithwoodKJantziD (1999) The relative effects of principal and teacher sources of leadership on student engagement with school. Educational Administration Quarterly35: 679–706.
54.
LeithwoodKJantziD (2008) Linking leadership to student learning: The contributions of leader efficacy. Educational Administration Quarterly44: 496–528.
55.
LeithwoodKLouisKSAn-DersonSand Wahlstrom K (2004) How Leadership Influences Student Learning. New York: Wallace Foundation, pp. 1–91.
56.
LeithwoodKRiedlingerBBauerSand Jantzi D (2003) Leadership program effects on student learning: The case of the greater New Orleans school leadership center. Journal of School Leadership13: 707–738.
57.
*LeithwoodKSunJPSchumackerR (2019) How school leadership influences student learning: A test of ‘the four paths model’. Educational Administration Quarterly56: 570–599.
58.
LeithwoodKABegleyPTCousinsJB (1992) Developing Expert Leadership for Future Dchools. London: Falmer.
59.
LinnenlueckeMKMarroneMSinghAK (2019) Conducting systematic literature reviews and bibliometric analyses. Australian Journal of Management45: 175–194.
60.
LouisKSMilesMB (1990) Improving the Urban High School: What Works and Why. New York: Teachers College Press.
61.
*MarliaMAFahmyRLukitoH and Games D. (2025) An exploratory study on effective leadership and change management in the transformation of Indonesian public universities towards world-class university Status. Sustainability (Switzerland)17: 1300.
62.
*MincuMColmanADayCand Gu Q (2024) Lessons from two decades of research about successful school leadership in England: A humanistic approach. Education Sciences14: 87.
63.
*Moral-SantaellaCRaso-SánchezF (2023) The meaning of successful school leadership in disadvantaged contexts in Spain: Approach from the international successful school principalship project (ISSPP). Education Sciences13: 1007.
64.
NorthousePG (2021) Leadership: Theory and Practice. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
65.
PashiardisGBrauckmann-SajkiewiczSPashiardisP, Kafa A and Eteokleous N (2024) School leadership in times of uncertainty: A school principal’s reflections from Cyprus. In: KafaAEteokleousN (eds) The Power of Technology in School Leadership During COVID-19: Insights from the Field. Cham: Springer International Publishing, pp. 55–76.
66.
PessinVZYamaneLHSimanRR (2022) Smart bibliometrics: An integrated method of science mapping and bibliometric analysis. Scientometrics127: 3695–3718.
67.
PontBNuscheDMoormanH (2008) Improving School Leadership. Paris: OECD Publishing.
68.
PosnerBZ (2021) When learning how to lead, an exploratory look at role models. Leadership & Organization Development Journal42: 802–818.
69.
RaduA-FBungauSGNegruPA, Marcu MF and Andronie-Cioara FL (2022) In-depth bibliometric analysis and current scientific mapping research in the context of rheumatoid arthritis pharmacotherapy. Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy154: 113614–113614.
70.
RaihaniGurrD (2006) Value-driven school leadership: An Indonesian perspective. Leading & Managing12: 121–134.
71.
RileyKMacBeath (1998) Effective leaders and effective schools. In: MacBeathJ (eds) Effective School Leadership: Responding to Change. London, UK: Sage, 173–200.
72.
SmallH (1973) Co-citation in the scientific literature: A new measure of the relationship between two documents. Journal of the American Society for Information Science24: 265–269.
73.
SovacoolBKAxsenJSorrellS (2018) Promoting novelty, rigor, and style in energy social science: Towards codes of practice for appropriate methods and research design. Energy Research & Social Science45: 12–42.
74.
*SpendloveM (2007) Competencies for effective leadership in higher education. International Journal of Educational Management21: 407–417.
75.
*SunJDayCZhangR, Huang T and Lin J (2024) Successful school principalship: A meta-synthesis of 20 years of international case studies. Education Sciences14: 929.
United Nations (2015) The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Available at: https://sdgs.un.org/goals.
78.
*WangLHGurrDDrysdaleL (2016) Successful school leadership: Case studies of four Singapore primary schools. Journal of Educational Administration54: 270–287.
79.
*WangZHanLZhangL (2025) Exploring educational leadership and teacher ethics: Who can lead and what are the key qualities?Ethics & Behavior35: 623–637.
80.
WeeseWJ (2010) The four steps to exceptional leadership of campus recreation in turbulent times. Recreational Sports Journal34: 95–102.
81.
*YadaTKashiwagiTNishinoM, Madoka O, Megumi H and Hiroshi S (2025) A case study of successful leadership by an elementary school principal in Japan. Journal of Educational Administration63: 1–15.
82.
*YlimakiRMGurrDDrysdaleL, Bennett JV and Wiseman AW (2009) Successful school principals in Australia and the US: Findings from an international study. Educational Leadership11: 273–301.
83.
YlimakiRMJacobsonSL (2011) US and Cross-National Policies, Practices, and Preparation: Implications for Successful Instructional Leadership, Organizational Learning, and Culturally Responsive practices. Dordrecht: Springer.
84.
ZupicIČaterT (2015) Bibliometric methods in management and organization. Organizational Research Methods18: 429–472.
