Distributed Leadership in Distinct Educational Contexts: A Cross-Cultural Study of Ireland and Türkiye

Abstract

This study examines how distributed leadership (DL) is enacted by school principals in two contrasting education systems: Ireland and Türkiye. It investigates how policy environments and institutional structures shape leadership practices across these contexts. The findings indicate that principals in Türkiye experience highly centralized governance structures as constraining the enactment of DL, whereas principals in Ireland emphasize ongoing efforts to align policy intentions with school-level practices. The study contributes to the literature by demonstrating how DL is shaped by context-specific policy and cultural dynamics, underscoring the importance of context-sensitive leadership development and support structures across education systems.