The aim of the present article was to systematically review international evidence about Islamic-based (a new term we suggest) educational leadership models published in peer-reviewed journals between 1990 and 2021. We conducted a systematic review of the literature by following the steps identified by Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). These steps were data source identification, search, data collection, eligibility criteria selection, data selection, and data analysis. They were aimed at enabling us to answer the following research inquiries: (1) What are the existing developments in research on Islamic-based educational leadership and policy? and (2) What are the main themes presented in these studies? Here, the results are presented first in a macro-outlook elucidating the main trends of this research (topical areas, geographical areas, approaches, and methods). The main themes that emerge from the analysis are: (a) policy, reforms, and stakeholders; second, educational leadership models and styles; and third, gender, feminism, and social justice. We share theoretical and methodological conclusions and outlines of some possible future research directions to contribute to inter-faith, equity, and diversity.

This study aims to provide a general overview of how educational leadership is defined by Arab educators and education specialists in the Arab region, concentrating on the State of Qatar. The study builds on insights from socio-cultural theory and critical discourse analysis, viewing language as a social practice and thus treats leadership as a form of discursive practice. The study draws on grounded theory and adopts a socio-cultural perspective employing semi-structured interviews conducted with school principals, teachers, educators, educational leaders, educational researchers, and members of the community in Qatar. The results concluded from this study disclose discording views of educational leadership and how it is defined, owing to borrowing the concept from Western educational system models, either by using these terms verbatim or as they are lost in translation. This discord reflects a lack of clarity in using the relevant educational leadership concepts and has arguably led to differences in educational practices and educators’ dispositions and perspectives. Finally, the study concludes with valuable recommendations for educational policy and decision-making and some suggestions for future research.

This qualitative study aimed to explore six student teachers’ changing perceptions and understandings of teacher leadership during their participation in a practicum experience in Qatar. The practicum experience particularly targeted developing student teachers’ understanding of teacher leadership through discussions, coaching, and mentoring. Data collection was carried out through a quantitative survey, and qualitative semi-structured interviews and weekly reflective journals in order to document not only changing perceptions, but also the factors influencing such changes. Findings revealed some improvement in student teachers’ definitions, awareness, and practises of teacher leadership. However, they did not fully associate their practises as being completely leadership-oriented. Implications of the study pertain to providing suitable opportunities for leadership development within teacher preparation programs to help student teachers acknowledge their contributions and practises as pertaining to teacher leadership.

This study compares teachers’ perceptions of teacher leadership in three Arab countries: Qatar, Oman and Egypt. Using the Teacher Leadership Inventory tool, the study examined the factors and demographic variables associated with teacher leadership in the selected countries. Specifically, the study explored the four factors identified by the TLI: Sharing Expertise (SE), Sharing Leadership (SL), Supra-Practitioner (SP), and Principal Selection (PS) and investigated if teachers’ perceptions of these factors would differ based on their country, gender and school type. Three sets of data were collected from the selected countries, and the respondents were teachers working in primary and middle public schools. Means, standard deviations, t-test and one-way ANOVA were used to analyze the data. The results showed the overall level of teacher leadership to be moderate, with Sharing Expertise being the highest ranked factor, followed by Sharing Leadership, Supra-Practitioner and Principal Selection. The study also found both similarities and differences between the three countries. For example, the Qatari sample provided the highest scores on all TLI factors, followed by Egypt and Oman. Differences were also noted based on school type and gender. Implications emerging from the results are discussed and suggestions for improvement are provided.

This quantitative study used Teacher Leadership Inventory (TLI) to survey the views and perceptions of public (government-funded) school teachers on factors that influence teacher leadership in Qatar. The survey sample was 2,969 participants in public (government) schools in Qatar. The results revealed significant differences for TLI in four factors (sharing expertise, sharing leadership, supra-practitioner, and principal selection). Thus, whereas teachers’ qualification and nationality emerged as significant for sharing expertise, the leadership position and nationality were significant for sharing leadership. The results further revealed the significance of years of experience, gender, degree level, and nationality for supra-practitioner and leadership position, nationality, and years of experience for principal selection. The paper concludes with relevant recommendations for policy makers and educators and suggestions for further research to explore salient aspects of teacher leadership in further detail.

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the way student teachers enacted agency to facilitate the development of a teacher leadership stance during a 12-week practicum experience. Data collection included pre-and post-interviews, weekly journals, mid- and post-reflective essays, classroom observations, and multiple assignments from seven student teachers completing their final semester at the national university in Qatar. Findings revealed three patterns in student teachers’ enactment of agency during the process of developing a teacher leadership stance. By making choices and taking actions, student teachers supported their personal learning, their growth as a teacher, and their commitment to the teaching community. Accordingly, student teachers revealed three manifestations of a teacher leadership stance, namely a clear leadership stance, a developing leadership stance, and no leadership stance. Exploring the potential of a practicum experience with a focus on teacher leadership provided a nuanced understanding of possibilities and limitations, both personal and contextual. Implications for teacher education are further discussed.