Research Article

School Administrators’ Perceptions of Educational Leadership: Strengths and Areas for Development

Volume: 41 Number: 4 October 30, 2026
TR EN

School Administrators’ Perceptions of Educational Leadership: Strengths and Areas for Development

Abstract

This study aims to examine the perceptions of school administrators working at preschool, primary, secondary and high school levels about educational administration, their strengths and aspects that need to be developed. In the study, in which phenomenological design, one of the qualitative research designs, was used, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 school administrators determined by maximum diversity sampling, and the data obtained were evaluated by content analysis. As a result of the research, it was determined that the participants defined the concept of educational administrator in three main themes: “educational leader”, “a professional occupation” and “a person responsible for school functioning”. The most frequently emphasized characteristics in the context of educational leadership are effective communication, fairness and willingness to change. While some participants identified educational administrators as the implementers of policies, others stated that they could not fully assume the role of educational administrators due to their limited authority. While the participants had difficulty in identifying the strengths of educational administrators in Turkiye, weaknesses such as lack of qualifications, lack of communication and being resistant to change were highlighted. While participants expressed their strengths more easily, they expressed their weaknesses in a limited way. The findings reveal that educational administration should be defined as a professional occupation, merit-based selection processes should be strengthened, and comprehensive in-service training programs should be made compulsory for administrator candidates.

Keywords

Supporting Institution

This research was conducted at Hacettepe University and received no specific financial support from any funding agency, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

Ethical Statement

This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Hacettepe University, Institute of Educational Sciences (Date: 28.05.2025, Document No: E-51944218-050-00004251578). Participants were informed about the purpose and process of the research and were assured that participation was voluntary and personal data would remain confidential. Informed consent was obtained from all participants.

Thanks

he authors would like to express their sincere gratitude to all school administrators who contributed to this study by sharing their valuable insights.

References

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  2. Baloğlu, N., Şahin, S., & Demirtaş, Z. (2022). Eğitim liderliği meslek standartlarına yönelik okul yöneticilerinin algıları. Eğitimde Nitel Araştırmalar Dergisi, 10(3), 845–872.
  3. Bursalıoğlu, Z. (2000). Okul yönetiminde yeni yapı ve davranış. Pegem Yayıncılık.
  4. Can, N., & Çelikten, M. (2000). Türkiye’de eğitim yöneticilerinin yetiştirilmesi süreci. Millî Eğitim Dergisi, 148, 50–69.
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  6. Creswell, J. W. (2007). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (2nd ed.). Sage.
  7. Çelik, V. (1991). Eğitim yöneticisinin yetiştirilmesi. Eğitim ve Bilim, 15(80), 43–47.
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Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Specialist Studies in Education (Other)

Journal Section

Research Article

Publication Date

October 30, 2026

Submission Date

October 23, 2025

Acceptance Date

October 15, 2026

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Volume: 41 Number: 4

APA
Karsavuranoğlu, Ş., & Gürlen, E. (2026). School Administrators’ Perceptions of Educational Leadership: Strengths and Areas for Development. Hacettepe University Journal of Education, 41(4), 870-883. https://doi.org/10.16986/hunefd.1808862
AMA
1.Karsavuranoğlu Ş, Gürlen E. School Administrators’ Perceptions of Educational Leadership: Strengths and Areas for Development. Hacettepe University Journal of Education. 2026;41(4):870-883. doi:10.16986/hunefd.1808862
Chicago
Karsavuranoğlu, Şevval, and Eda Gürlen. 2026. “School Administrators’ Perceptions of Educational Leadership: Strengths and Areas for Development”. Hacettepe University Journal of Education 41 (4): 870-83. https://doi.org/10.16986/hunefd.1808862.
EndNote
Karsavuranoğlu Ş, Gürlen E (October 1, 2026) School Administrators’ Perceptions of Educational Leadership: Strengths and Areas for Development. Hacettepe University Journal of Education 41 4 870–883.
IEEE
[1]Ş. Karsavuranoğlu and E. Gürlen, “School Administrators’ Perceptions of Educational Leadership: Strengths and Areas for Development”, Hacettepe University Journal of Education, vol. 41, no. 4, pp. 870–883, Oct. 2026, doi: 10.16986/hunefd.1808862.
ISNAD
Karsavuranoğlu, Şevval - Gürlen, Eda. “School Administrators’ Perceptions of Educational Leadership: Strengths and Areas for Development”. Hacettepe University Journal of Education 41/4 (October 1, 2026): 870-883. https://doi.org/10.16986/hunefd.1808862.
JAMA
1.Karsavuranoğlu Ş, Gürlen E. School Administrators’ Perceptions of Educational Leadership: Strengths and Areas for Development. Hacettepe University Journal of Education. 2026;41:870–883.
MLA
Karsavuranoğlu, Şevval, and Eda Gürlen. “School Administrators’ Perceptions of Educational Leadership: Strengths and Areas for Development”. Hacettepe University Journal of Education, vol. 41, no. 4, Oct. 2026, pp. 870-83, doi:10.16986/hunefd.1808862.
Vancouver
1.Şevval Karsavuranoğlu, Eda Gürlen. School Administrators’ Perceptions of Educational Leadership: Strengths and Areas for Development. Hacettepe University Journal of Education. 2026 Oct. 1;41(4):870-83. doi:10.16986/hunefd.1808862