Educational leadership and social justice: a hybrid systematic review

This study examines scholarly articles on social justice–oriented educational leadership published between 2000 and 2024, tracing the field’s conceptual evolution, theoretical foundations, and key thematic trends. Employing a hybrid systematic review approach that integrates quantitative bibliometric mapping with qualitative thematic synthesis, it investigates core theories underpinning this leadership paradigm and the challenges of translating theory into practice. Unlike prior reviews that relied on either bibliometric or narrative approaches, this study combines both, offering a historical mapping alongside a thematic interrogation of 20 influential works. Its main contribution lies in the thematic analysis, which reveals how structural, political, and ethical constraints are theorized across contexts, moving the field beyond descriptive mapping toward critical synthesis. Drawing on 25 years of publications from Scopus and Web of Science, findings show significant growth in the field and increasing attention to ethical, cultural, structural, and political dimensions. The study underscores that effective educational leadership must address systemic inequalities, while highlighting policy constraints that limit the enactment of social justice principles and calling for equity-centered reforms.