Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41019349›Full record

ArticleF1000Research2025

Digital Leadership in Education: A Bibliometric Analysis of Research Trends from 1993 to 2024.

John Olayemi OKunlola, Suraiya Rathankoomar Naicker

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in F1000Research, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors.

John Olayemi OKunlolaDepartment of Education Leadership and Management, Faculty of Education, P.O.BOX 524, University of Johannesburg, Auckland Park, Gauteng, 2006, South Africa.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7234-0504
Suraiya Rathankoomar NaickerDepartment of Education Leadership and Management, Faculty of Education, P.O.BOX 524, University of Johannesburg, Auckland Park, Gauteng, 2006, South Africa.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), the COVID-19 pandemic, and the rapidly digitising educational system due to advances in artificial intelligence (AI) have made a change in leadership imperative. A key framework for improving organisational effectiveness in handling these changes is digital leadership. It combines technological competencies with traditional leadership. Even with increased scholarly interest, there remains a gap in the thorough analysis of the field's intellectual framework, thematic evolution, and collaborative dynamics. This study addresses this gap by conducting a bibliometric analysis of digital leadership research in education from 1993 to 2024, employing RStudio to map publication trends, influential sources, author productivity, conceptual themes, and social structures. Data from 338 Scopus-indexed documents reveal a significant rise in publications post-2010, peaking in 2023, with core journals such as Education and Information Technologies and Cogent Education dominating the field. However, the notable decline observed in 2024 indicates that the decline in publications may be due to research saturation, a change in research priorities, or funding. Prolific authors like Karakose T., Altinay F., and Z. underscore the centrality of collaborative research, while thematic mapping identifies key clusters: digital competence, virtual leadership, and institutional innovation. Thematic evolution highlights a post-pandemic pivot toward digital transformation and AI integration, though niche areas like K-12 digital leadership remain underdeveloped. Social network analysis reveals dispersed yet growing global collaborations, with the United States, Turkey, and the United Kingdom as dominant hubs, while disparities persist in Global South participation. The study's implications emphasize the need for interdisciplinary research, equitable global partnerships, and policy frameworks that prioritize digital leadership training for educators. Practitioners are encouraged to implement adaptive strategies to leverage emerging technologies, ensuring sustainable learning outcomes. This analysis provides a foundation for future research and practice in digital leadership by delineating the field's conceptual and social networks, thereby bridging the divides between theory, policy, and institutional practice.

Indexed as

BibliometricsLeadershipResearchArtificial IntelligenceCOVID-19HumansSARS-CoV-2AI in educationbibliometric analysiscollaboration networkdigital leadershipeducational technologyleadership 4.0thematic evolution

Identifiers

PMID41019349
PMCPMC12475901

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.