Contextualizing School Leadership in Türkiye: Stakeholder Perspectives on Effective Leadership Traits

Abstract

This study examines how key stakeholders in Türkiye construct, justify, and reinterpreteffective school leadership traits through a cultural lens. Using a convergent parallelmixed-methods design, data were collected from 16 participants across four stakeholdergroups. Findings reveal that relational, ethical, and adaptive traits – such as communica-tion, honesty, and flexibility – are prioritized over technical competencies. Traits likediscipline and supervisory skills also emerged as culturally specific. While partiallyaligned with McEwan’s framework, Turkish perspectives emphasize moral authorityand interpersonal trust, highlighting the contextual construction of leadership and theneed for culturally responsive leadership development.