A Systematic Literature Review of Servant Leadership in Education

This paper summarizes empirical findings on servant leadership (SL) in the academic domain. Using PRISMA guidelines, the study identified pertinent studies from the Scopus and Web of Science databases. A total of 20 quantitative studies that were published between 2020 and 2024 were selected using strict inclusion and exclusion criteria. Descriptive and thematic analyses were employed to interpret the selected studies, and the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT) was applied to ensure methodological rigor. The results have shown that SL produces a significant improvement in faculty engagement, commitment, and job satisfaction. It also shows positive relationalities between SL, psychological empowerment, and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). The implementation of SL principles leads to a favorable school climate, academic success of students, better performance, engagement, and extra-role behaviors of the staff, especially in crisis periods. The majority of studies used Liden et al.’s (2008, 2015) servant leadership scale, whereas the theoretical framework shows the dominance of social exchange theory, social learning theory, and leader-member exchange theory. These insights can be used by educational administrators and policymakers to design new educational settings that can strengthen faculty motivation and institutional performance. Nevertheless, the search is restricted to English-language articles included in two databases, which limits the review in terms of examining cultural implications or causal relationships. The study is the first synthesis through PRISMA particularly focusing on SL in education that demonstrates its great effect on teachers, students, and institutions.