A Bibliometric Review of Instructional Leadership Research: Science Mapping the Literature from 1974 to 2020

Abstract

This study used bibliometric science mapping to explore the research development status and intellectual structure of instructional leadership and to identify research fronts and hotspots in instructional leadership studies. Relevant citation data screened from Web of Science revealed 1172 records spanning from 1974 to 2020, which were analyzed using HistCite^TM, VOSviewer and Sci2 Tool. Descriptive statistics revealed four development stages along with significant articles in each stage. Document bibliographic coupling and content analyses indicated eight major research clusters with their respective research focus. Burst detection and keywords co-occurrence analyses identified research fronts including shared leadership, teaching strategies, systematic review, principal preparation, and school climate. Comparison of analysis results obtained using different tools showed discrepancies, thus highlighting the need for different analytical tools to be adopted as they complement each other in offering multiple and complementary perspectives for an across-the-board overview. Finally, implications and limitations of this study are presented.

Keywords: instructional leadership, schools’ leadership, principal, science mapping, bibliometric analysis