@article{article_1761858, title={Instructional Leadership in a Centralized Education System: Revisiting the Practice of School Principals}, journal={Bartın University Journal of Faculty of Education}, pages={849–874}, year={2026}, DOI={10.14686/buefad.1761858}, url={https://izlik.org/JA57KS98PH}, author={Alanoğlu, Müslim and Vural, Gürsen and Turan, Cihat and Kuzgun, Zeliha and Demirtaş, Zülfü}, keywords={leadership, instructional leadership, school administration, qualitative reseach}, abstract={<p>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. </p>}, number={3}