Surfacing a hidden literature

Abstract

Scholars throughout the world are working to diversify the knowledge base in educational leadership and management (EDLM). In concert with this effort, this article reports the results of a systematic review of research on EDLM in Africa. The goals of the review were to describe trends with respect to the volume of journal publications, national sources, research designs, methods, topics, authors and citation impact. The review database was comprised of 506 journal articles published on EDLM in Africa. A conceptual framework was used to organize the review, consisting of context and personal antecedents, leadership/management, teachers and school, and school outcomes. Systematic methods were employed to identify sources and extract data from the articles. Data analysis relied on quantitative synthesis aimed at identifying trends within Africa as a region, across its composite societies, and in change over time. The review found a surprisingly large literature, 90% of which had been published since 2005. This impression of an ‘emerging literature’ was reinforced by other trends, which bore a striking resemblance to features of the American literature in the 1970s and Asia post-2000. Recommendations are made for topics and methods as well as areas where capacity development is warranted.