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This article explores the signature pedagogies enacted by university academics in Türkiye’s Non-Thesis Educational Administration Master’s (NTEA-M) programmes, which are designed to prepare effective school leaders. Using a qualitative, phenomenological design, data were collected from 12 academics across 10 universities specialising in educational leadership. The findings reveal a range of pedagogical strategies grounded in situational, transformational and instructional leadership theories, alongside an emphasis on critical skills such as communication, problem-solving and collaboration. Ethical values, including responsibility, justice, honesty and transparency, emerged as central to the formation of leadership. The study highlights ongoing tensions between theory and practice, and it proposes actionable recommendations such as strengthening school–university partnerships and embedding field-based learning. By foregrounding the lived pedagogical choices and situations, this study contributes to the signature pedagogy literature from within Türkiye’s distinctive policy and educational context.

It is important that higher education institutions equip future school leaders with a holistic view of teachers' digital competence. This qualitative study explores the conceptual understanding of teacher digital competence among future school leaders in Spain, comparing their perspectives with the DigCompEdu framework. A total of 41 students enrolled in a master's programme in school management participated, responding to a single open question about the use of technology in teaching practice. Data were analysed using content analysis, comparing the responses with the 22 competences of the DigCompEdu framework. The findings reveal limitations in their understanding of the full scope of teacher digital competence. While participants acknowledged basic uses of technology in teaching, learning and professional engagement, they demonstrated conceptual gaps in areas such as developing students' digital competence, empowering learners and effective digital assessment. These findings highlight the need for a holistic approach to teacher digital competence in leadership training to ensure that future school leaders are prepared for digital and pedagogical leadership. In practice, this means that school leadership training programmes should be reviewed to ensure that they cover all dimensions of teacher digital competence, thereby preparing future leaders to effectively implement and support the integration of technology in their schools.

PurposePedagogical leadership (PL) has been regarded as the best leadership style in the education sector. Thus, the aim of this study was to develop and validate a pedagogical leadership scale (PLS).Design/methodology/approachTwo distinct approaches (inductive and deductive) were utilized. First, a review of the literature was conducted, and then qualitative data were collected through interviews, and their responses were categorized into 40 items. These items were thematized using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) by involving 300 participants. To examine the fitness of the scale, the researchers conducted a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) with 470 participants.FindingsEFA discovered a total variance of 64.766% for four factors. In CFA, RMSEA, NFI, RFI, NNFI, CFI, GFI and AGFI values were accepted. The highest correlation was found among constructs of PL. Path analysis revealed PL affected social, professional, intellectual and academic capitals. The correlations between the PLS and psychological empowerment demonstrated the theoretically predicted relationships with these variables. Thus, with the initial evidence of a valid and reliable PLS, a pool of 32 items under 4 factors (social, academic, professional and intellectual capital) were developed.Originality/valueDespite the management of childhood education requiring the practice of PL, it is underexplored in childhood schools, particularly to our knowledge, no studies have been conducted to develop and confirm the PLS in Ethiopia.

In response to national and state emphasis implementing digital technologies in the K-12 classroom, the North Carolina (NC) state board of education approved the integration of the Digital Learning Competencies for Teachers (DLCT) and the Digital Learning Competencies for School Administrators (DLCSA) for schools statewide. DLCSA support school and district administrators to improve practice, build capacity in the staff, and drive student learning within their schools. Following a mixed method sequential explanatory design, this study was conducted to explore the perceptions of NC school administrators about the DLCSA to develop digital age learning organizations and identify best practices to support teachers and students. Data were collected during the 2018–2019 academic year through a web-based questionnaire distributed to current and former Educational Leadership program students (n = 21/52) and 6 semistructured interviews. The findings supported the development of a new digital learning certificate for educational leaders.

The aim of this research is to understand the events and experiences that contribute to the development of top leaders who are capable of thinking of their organization pedagogically and strategically to respond to present-day challenges. The uniqueness of the objective itself justified the choice of narrative research based on the interdependent relationship between leaders and institutions. Methodologically, the autobiographical narrative was used as the method and data collection technique. We studied the life stories of two headmasters from two school clusters in Portugal, as well as the dynamics of their leadership. The analysis of the life stories was complemented by a chronotopography, documentary analysis, focus groups with middle managers and interviews with members of the Portuguese Ministry of Education. The analysis of the data collected through the life narratives enabled a series of milestones to be identified that, due to their authors’ ability to reflect, were decisive in their professional development, namely, further education; initial training; experience in management bodies and lifelong learning; the participation in the Educational Territories of Priority Intervention programme, the Pedagogical Innovation Pilot Project and school networks.

Teacher self-efficacy is a key driver of teaching quality and professional growth. Continuous professional development, particularly for physical education (PE) teachers, is critical for enhancing their self-efficacy, enabling them to adapt to modern educational challenges and improve teaching standards. This study investigated the relationship between training, professional development, and self-efficacy among PE teachers. Findings revealed a positive correlation between training, particularly in digital skills development post-pandemic, and PE teacher self-efficacy across diverse aspects of their teaching. Specifically, teachers who participated in training programs reported an 88.9% increase in their self-efficacy, while participation in ICT-related seminars boosted their teaching strategies by 83.3%. Additionally, self-efficacy has been found to have a positive correlation with both classroom management and student engagement. This relationship underscores the critical importance of continuous professional development as a means to enhance teaching practices. When teachers possess a strong sense of self-efficacy, they are more likely to implement effective classroom management strategies and foster an engaging learning environment for their students. The research highlights that systematic peer support and constructive feedback from experienced educators play a pivotal role in empowering teachers. Such collaborative efforts not only facilitate the sharing of innovative classroom practices but also create a culture of continuous improvement among educators. Moreover, the development and implementation of targeted training programs that specifically focus on enhancing the digital skills of physical education (PE) teachers are deemed essential. As the educational landscape increasingly incorporates technology, equipping teachers with the necessary digital competencies is crucial for improving their effectiveness in managing classrooms and actively engaging students in the learning process. These training programs should be designed to address the unique challenges faced by PE teachers, ensuring that they are well-prepared to integrate technology into their teaching methodologies.

Background Student assessment in many Brazilian health professions schools consists mainly of summative exams targeting knowledge. Between 2018 and 2020, a faculty development (FD) project was held for nine Brazilian institutions addressing programmatic assessment systems favouring comprehensive, formative assessment of clinical skills and professionalism. This study aimed at identifying the immediate effects of the FD activities, and determining long-term (one-year) changes in participant’s assessment practices and other effects. Methods Participated 359 teachers from 30 undergraduate courses (13 different health professions). Local leaders took an initial workshops cycle (20 h), which was followed by 10 similar activities at the various institutions. The program design covered topics on assessment practices and systems using active teaching–learning strategies. In the end, participants evaluated the quality of the FD activities and self-evaluated the knowledge and skills acquired. One year later, participants were invited to complete an online structured questionnaire about the importance of the FD activities on 36 aspects of their work. Results From 75 to 100% of the 292 (81.3%) respondents had a very positive perception of the workshops, particularly about program design, delivered activities and facilitator’s role, with no significant differences between the initial and the other cycles. Immediately after the workshops, perceived levels of knowledge and skills were significantly greater ( p  = 0.0001) than those before, for all topics evaluated. In the follow-up evaluation one year later, more than 90% of the 121 (33.7%) respondents to the reliable instrument (Cronbach’s α = 0,90) attributed high importance of participation to their work in student assessment. More than 70% reported positive impacts on other aspects, such as teaching, relationship with students and colleagues and feelings of greater belonging and personal and professional appreciation. Conclusion Our findings indicate that well-designed traditional FD activities focusing solely on student assessment enhance teacher’s knowledge and skills in this area, an effect that persists in the long-term. Other improving effects were observed on overall participants’ performance and may represent broader positive impacts on teachers and their institutions. Additionally, it is likely that these FD activities may contribute to changes in the participating institutions leading to a more constructive and meaningful approach to student assessment.

The Principals as STEM Leaders (PASL) project was an Australian Government-funded national research and professional learning programme for principals, aimed at building STEM leadership capacity. The project involved cluster-based delivery of six learning modules and generation of case studies outlining schools' different approaches to STEM education and STEM leadership. This article analyses factors contributing to the development of four contrasting schools' STEM profiles, identifying the unique approaches and leadership strategies each adopted in designing STEM curriculum for meeting the learning needs of their diverse students. It positions these schools' endeavours within the broader PASL professional learning programme, adding to the limited body of empirical work detailing different approaches schools take to the ＂STEM challenge,＂ which, for most, presents a disruptive innovation to traditional curriculum and structures. The vital role of school leaders in communicating a clear, evidence-based vision for STEM and also ＂walking the talk＂ and being highly engaged in STEM programmes, was a common feature across the cases. This built relational trust, and a strong whole-of-school commitment to and understanding of STEM, to some extent mitigating the challenges of rigid curriculum and external assessment requirements. The study highlights the complex interaction of professional learning, leadership, curriculum design, pedagogy, and school culture in establishing innovative STEM programmes in schools.

Over the years, I’ve been investigating capacity for learning to understand under what conditions it’s seeded, flourishes and is sustainable. Drawing on my own and others’ research and knowledge, I’ve supported school and system leaders internationally in endeavours to create and sustain capacity for learning. My sense is that everyone engaged in similar activity believes that we want the best learning opportunities and outcomes for every child. But, to use a journey metaphor, have we arrived? In this article, I reflect on where we are now, then consider the purpose of learning, who should learn and what kind of learning is needed. I suggest what a system might look like if creating capacity for learning becomes a reality and how we might get there. In conclusion I argue for reorienting the continuing journey.

PurposeCompetencies for leadership in higher education have begun to emerge in the literature. Yet to better equip future leaders in higher education, the use of a learning taxonomy may serve as a framework to understand necessary learning for leaders in higher education. The aim of this study is to explore the competencies of higher education leadership through Bloom’s knowledge, skills and attitudes framework.Design/methodology/approachAn explanatory case study qualitative methodology was used to explore the experiences of senior leaders within a singular university to determine the necessary competencies of leadership in higher education. Purposive sampling was used to recruit participants who served in Dean-level or higher positions. Eligible participants participated in a semi-structured interview.FindingsEach of Bloom’s domains had a variety of themes emerge: knowledge (2), skills (6) and attitude (2).Research limitations/implicationsSample size was limited by the availability of senior leaders and may not represent the experience of leaders at all institutions.Practical implicationsFindings from this study may allow future researchers to investigate the outcomes of a combination of competencies. Findings from this study will hopefully be able to be extrapolated to better understand the learning required of those who aspire to be future leaders in similar university structures.Originality/valueAvailable studies fail to explore the process by which one learns the skills necessary to become a leader in higher education. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to map higher education leadership competencies through a learning taxonomy.