Abstract:

This study aims to reveal the trend in postgraduate theses on instructional leadership in Turkey. To this end, open access postgraduate theses in YÖK National Thesis Center constitute the universe of the research. The search with the keywords "instructional leader" and "instructional leadership" yielded 99 theses. However, analysis was carried out on 62 theses that satisfied the criteria set in the study. A thesis review form was created based on similar studies in the literature and data analysis was carried out using the categorical analysis method. The type of theses (master's or doctorate), the year they were conducted, the method, the sample, the school level of the sample, the measurement tool used, the university they were conducted in, and the variable(s) associated with the instructional leadership were investigated. Frequency and percentage values for each category were calculated. The findings can be summarized as follows: postgraduate theses on instructional leadership are mostly at the master’s level and in quantitative design. In approximately two-thirds of the postgraduate theses, data were collected from teachers, and one-quarter of the sample group worked in primary schools. In the last 10 years, there has been a quantitative increase in theses on instructional leadership. The measurement tool developed by Şişman (1997) was used by about three-quarters of the theses, and instructional leadership was most frequently associated with teachers' organizational commitment. Finally, it was determined that most theses on instructional leadership were completed at Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University. Based on the findings, some suggestions were made.

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