Educational Leadership Research and Creative Analytic Practices: A Critical Mapping of Theoretical and Methodological Terrains?

Abstract

This introduction aims to set the context for the subsequent chapters that draw on narrative methodologies and creative analytic practices, while employing distinct theoretical frameworks, to document and deconstruct the concept of educational leadership within various education settings originating from diverse global environments. It argues the case for the new 'theory turn' in educational leadership scholarship, thus calling for the problematization of educational leadership discourses. Moreover, it debates the relevance of narrative and creative analytic practices for the analysis and representation of critical educational leadership scholarship. This acts as a prelude to explorations of educational leaders' mundane practices, and perceptions, that enable a textured reading of educational leadership with various layers. This creates a space for the various writers to map the diverse ways in which leadership discourses are received, translated, and enacted at the practitioner level within the constraints of local and global policy.