Review Article
Adem Yurdunkulu
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 18, Issue 2, Article No: ep658
ABSTRACT
This study aims to map the academic literature at the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and educational management/leadership through bibliometric methods, using a dataset of 1,072 articles retrieved from the Web of Science and Scopus databases. Analyses conducted with R software and the Biblioshiny package reveal that the field is exceptionally young and dynamic, with an average document age of only 2.7 years, and that scientific output has increased substantially in the post-2020 period. This dynamic structure can be attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic and the widespread diffusion of generative AI tools. The geographical distribution of publication output indicates orientation towards new geographical directions with a growing concentration along a Eurasian axis. At the institutional level, Kazan Federal University (99 publications) and RUDN University (62 publications) emerge as dominant contributors, while China holds a global leadership position in citation impact (1,885 citations). This result should be cautiously handled as the database bias and publication concentration effects might have influenced the search outputs. In terms of conceptual structure, “artificial intelligence” and “machine learning” appear as dominant terms, and the thematic map identifies these concepts—together with “education management”—as motor themes. This finding suggests that the field has moved beyond purely theoretical debates and is transitioning into the mainstream of data-driven educational management. Considering this transformation, it is recommended that policymakers and leadership-development programs urgently integrate modules on data literacy and AI ethics. Overall, the study concludes that the discipline is undergoing a transition period, where future leaders will be responsible for governing algorithmic resources alongside human resources.
Keywords: artificial intelligence, bibliometric, education, leadership, management
Research Article
Nazir Ahmed Jogezai, Diana Koroleva, Fozia Ahmed Baloch
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 15, Issue 4, Article No: ep466
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic, which posed challenges for accommodating student learning, also opened avenues for using digital resources in online learning. However, differences were observed in their use, effectiveness, and intensity across developed and least developed societies. This is referred to as “digital inequalities,” caused by factors such as insufficient organizational-level support and teachers’ digital competence (DC). This study was conducted to determine teachers’ DC and reveal if their DC was explained by their digital nativeness and principals’ digital instructional leadership capital. The study used a quantitative research method, whereby data were collected from 393 teachers. The researchers used SmartPLS 4 and SPSS 24 to analyze data. The findings complement the available literature and help pave ways to promote the integration of digital resources in teaching and learning.
Keywords: digital nativeness, digital competence, digital inclusion, digital instructional leadership, COVID-19 pandemic, teacher
Research Article
Gulmira Tussupbekova, Kathy L. Malone, Janet Helmer, Gulnara Namyssova, Miruyert Abdrakhmanova, Filiz Polat, Zumrad Kataeva
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 14, Issue 4, Article No: ep386
ABSTRACT
This explanatory sequential mixed-method study explored the effectiveness of blended learning (BL) courses offered to graduate students at an English medium university in Kazakhstan. The study’s purpose was to explore and understand graduate students’ experiences while enrolled in BL courses by learning their perceptions of the benefits and challenges of BL, as well as its potential for enhancing their teacher leadership skills. A survey (n=81) and semi-structured individual interviews (n=17) were used as the main research instruments. This allowed for a detailed and rich data set on the conceptual underpinnings of the BL courses, their effectiveness, and their potential to inform higher education institutions towards implementing BL policies and practices, specifically in the field of education. Through the lens of the Interaction equivalency theorem, we analyzed students’ experiences and their interactions with their teachers and peers, as well as the mode, place, and pace of learning. This investigation revealed that the benefits of learning using BL outweighed its challenges. However, most of the participants preferred the face-to-face part of the BL course over its online teacher-student interaction component due to the opportunity to gain immediate feedback. Most importantly, the BL courses facilitated the enhancement of teacher leadership skills among the students. Finally, the paper provides recommendations for further development and revisions to current BL courses to enhance their learning value.
Keywords: blended learning, higher education, graduate students, educational leadership, interaction equivalency theory, Kazakhstan, teacher leadership
Research Article
Ann-Louise Petersen
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 5, Issue 4, pp. 302-315
ABSTRACT
This article focuses on the leadership used by the principal in a collaborative ICT project. The case study chosen was a school project conducted within the NCCE project (Nordic Cross Country Education). The EU funded project ran for three years in grades 5-9 in Sweden, Denmark and Norway. The goal of the project was to develop cross-border education models between the national education systems in the three countries. The project was based on virtual communication using digital technology. The study focuses on how the Swedish teachers from two schools involved in the NCCE project experienced the leadership of the principals in ICT related matters. A qualitative method was used by interviewing the teachers in order to inquire about what kind of support they had received from the school leadership on pedagogical issues, technical equipment and ICT competence. The ICT leadership was analyzed by Dexter’s three basic features: setting direction, developing people and making the organization work. The result showed two kinds of leadership. The first one resembled a distributed leadership, where the principal worked closely with teachers and ICT managers, almost like being one of the team. The second one resembled more a formal leadership where principals had a positive attitude towards ICT development but did not participate personally in the project work.
Keywords: ICT integration, ICT leadership, Distributed leadership, School development
Research Article
Yeol Huh, Charles M. Reigeluth, Dabae Lee
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 5, Issue 1, pp. 1-21
ABSTRACT
Based on Bandura’s work, the four sources of efficacy shaping were examined in regard to frequency and students’ perception of importance in a computer-mediated, project-based high school classroom. In a context of group work where there was no designated leader, groups’ collective efficacy was examined if it has any relationship with individual’s leadership traits. In addition, the relationship between the existence of group-identified leader and the groups’ collective efficacy as well as the relationship between the collective efficacy and the groups’ performance outcome were examined. The results from survey and interview showed that mastery experience was the most frequent and powerful source of efficacy shaping among the four sources. Moreover, the groups with identified leader showed higher collective efficacy than the groups without leaders, and the groups’ collective efficacy level showed positive correlation with the groups’ performance outcome.
Keywords: Collective efficacy, Leadership traits, Computer-based PBL, Group performance
Research Article
Zengguan Chen, Charles M. Reigeluth
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 1, Issue 3, pp. 233-254
ABSTRACT
Fundamental change, or systemic transformation, in public school systems is increasingly recognized as essential for best meeting all students’ needs in a digital, information-based society. The success of this kind of change depends to a large extent on the effectiveness of a district-wide Leadership Team (LT), which in turn depends on the communication practices of that team. This study describes the communication practices of the LT in a district-wide systemic transformation, focusing on the members’ values and beliefs about communication within the team, communication problems, communication channels, and communication sources. The purpose of the study was to improve the guidance offered by the School System Transformation (SST) protocol, a knowledge-base about the systemic transformation process, by identifying preventive measures that could reduce communication problems in a LT. Based on the findings, suggestions are made to improve several of the 18 continuous processes in the SST Protocol, namely sustain motivation, develop and maintain appropriate leadership, develop group-process and team-building skills, establish team spirit, engage in reflection, communicate with stakeholders, and foster organizational learning.
Keywords: Systemic transformation, Change process, Leadership team, Communication