Leadership in Asian international schools: Mapping a research agenda

This paper has two purposes: to examine the scope of rigorous, peer-reviewed literature published on leadership in Asian international schools, and to propose that a focus on distributed leadership would provide a way towards a sustained research agenda. To accomplish these aims, the paper first examines the extent of the knowledge base through a quantitative review that identifies the number of relevant scholarly articles, codes them to distill eight themes that encapsulate current knowledge, suggests the likely impact made on the field and constraints on research activity. After establishing a paucity of research in any single aspect of international school leadership in the region, the paper briefly reviews the literature on distributed leadership in Asian international schools and suggests a framework for further inquiry.