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The purpose of this paper is to report findings from a systematic literature review that explore how recent research on instructional leadership has addressed the role of mathematics and science instruction.

Using Hallinger’s (2014) approach to conducting systematic reviews, the review included 109 peer-reviewed articles published since 2008 in leading mathematics and science education journals. An a priori coding scheme based upon key leadership behaviors articulated in Hitt and Tucker’s (2016) unified leadership framework informed the analysis presented.

Results indicate that leaders support content area instruction by facilitating high-quality instructional experiences through curricular and assessment leadership. Leadership frequently involves establishing organizational conditions that support teachers’ efforts to improve their own practice instead of direct leadership action on the part of instructional leaders. This support takes different forms and can include distributing leadership to teacher leaders with content area experience as well as using resources strategically to provide professional development or instructional coaching.

The review strengthens the connections between the instructional leadership, mathematics and science literatures, and identifies some of the leadership practices that these literatures deem important for instructional improvement. The review also reveals the potential for future research exploring the influence of a particular content area on supervisory practice and leadership discourse.

This article examines the function of documents as a data source in qualitative research and discusses document analysis procedure in the context of actual research experiences. Targeted to research novices, the article takes a nuts‐and‐bolts approach to document analysis. It describes the nature and forms of documents, outlines the advantages and limitations of document analysis, and offers specific examples of the use of documents in the research process. The application of document analysis to a grounded theory study is illustrated.

Efforts to prepare new teachers to integrate technology into their teaching have a lengthy history. Increasingly, scholars are beginning to understand the importance of linking technology with specific content areas and pedagogy (Zhao, 2003). Mishra and Koehler (2006) refer to this intersection of technology, pedagogy, and content as Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPCK). Structuring field experiences that systematically address curriculum-based technology integration in the context of specific content areas is one way that teacher preparation programs can operationalize this development of TPCK in pre-service teachers (Bolick, 2002; Dawson & Nonis, 2000). Analysis of the data in the Bolick study revealed three benefits for the pre-service teachers working within a content-specific technology field placement: (a) increased knowledge and skill related to digital history pedagogy, (b) increased content-area knowledge, and (c) increased confidence in developing and teaching technology-integrated lessons (2002). Using Bolick’s findings as initial assertions, this study investigated the use of collaborative field placements, digital history, and an apprenticeship model of training to teach pre-service teachers about technology and elementary social studies instruction. This paper discusses the results of the Technology Leadership Cadre (TLC) collaboration and provides recommendations for future studies in this area of research.

The purpose of this study is to ascertain perspectives from pre-service and in-service elementary teachers about challenges they face when teaching social studies, and how their participation in a content-based professional development opportunity can support their preparedness for social studies instruction. Five speakers who were experts in topics such as Native American history, historical preservation, women's history and the Constitution were featured at this workshop.

Case study methodology with both descriptive and explanatory data collection and analysis methods, which were inclusive of surveys and focus group sessions, was implemented. The National Council for the Social Studies (2017) Powerful and Authentic Social Studies framework was applied in order to examine whether elementary in-service and pre-service teachers participation in this content-focused professional development impacted their preparedness to teach social studies.

Major findings show that content-specific professional development can support pre-service and in-service elementary teachers' preparation to teach social studies through analysis of historical topics and contemporary issues, as well as mitigate challenges with regard to limited time dedicated to social studies instruction.

In light of the Senate's debate on passing the Educating for Democracy Act concerning funding for civics and history education, the originality of this study highlights the continued need for scholarship on how partnerships between colleges of education, school districts and local educational agencies to provide content-focused professional development can support elementary teachers' ambitious social studies instruction, which can foster greater understandings of historical content and civic participation in democratic society.

Despite recent organizational behavior studies have witnessed considerable progress in abusive supervision research; some demerits for both theory and methodology still remain in the past years. To clarify the current state of knowledge in the field, this study aims to analyze the current state of theories and methods on abusive supervision and provides a detailed future research agenda.

This paper conducted a literature review for both theory and methodology of the abusive supervision research using a content analysis of 134 publications.

For the theory part, this paper summarized the theories that had been applied to explain the relationship between abusive supervision and its consequences as well as antecedents. For the methodology part, this paper outlined some critical issues regarding country of origin, research design, measurement, analysis strategy and also summarized with a discussion of the relationship between methodological issues and article impact. Finally, this paper concluded by presenting an agenda for future abusive supervision research regarding both theory and methodology.

First, this paper summarizes the main theories, antecedents and consequences often used in abusive supervision research to allow scholars to carry out theoretically driven research investigating abusive supervision in the future. Second, through a content analysis of the methods sections of abusive supervision research in the samples (i.e. country of origin, research design, measurement and analytical procedures), this paper identified the potential reasons underlying the inconsistency in the conclusions of abusive supervision research and provide some guidance for future empirical studies. Third, based on the qualitative review, this paper provides an agenda for future research investigating abusive supervision by developing a content-specific theoretical framework to benchmark abusive supervision research against other research related to leadership and offers an accurate response to scholars’ criticisms of abusive supervision research.

The purpose of this paper is to present the necessary accessories for creating a job description, through a model. The model concentrates on the person and a job description document, which is capable of connecting and synchronising the organizational goals. The author introduces a tool that assists in creating job descriptions.

In the present paper the author integrates the conclusions of the authors on the subject and her own research results, on the basis of which she creates a three dimensional (3D) job description model. This 3D model could be used as a resource in the human resource development field.

The elements of the resulting job description document: the method specific accessories of the job descriptions. The content specific accessories of the job descriptions. The person specific accessories of the job descriptions.

The 3D job description, which is presented in the study, was preceded by the development of a general model. The very first application of the general model was in connection with competence tests, which have gained popularity lately. Competences can be classified in different ways. Each aspect of classification corresponds to a face of a tetrahedron, five of which comprise the model. This model is also adaptable for other kinds of research used at research centres, educational institutions and companies.

The 3D job description being presented was developed as a special, multi-dimensional data model. The model allows us to discover and present the causal relationships and the connections between the parts and the whole of job description elements. It demonstrates the interacting factors clearly due to the fact that the tetrahedrons can be rolled over one another, and it is adaptable for the mapping of the connections between these factors.

The model is capable of defining the central elements. In this case, the people and the organization of work are in the centre. The 3D job description is adaptable for modelling by the exploration of logical links, so it can show what kind of “whole” is generated by the given elements and what parts it consists of. Therefore the model can be interpreted as a network of connections, which is capable of illustrating the vertical and horizontal structure, due to the special form of tetrahedrons. The model is perfect for the demonstration of the connections between contents on the faces of the tetrahedrons, due to their form and movability.

The elaboration and presentation of the general model, protected by design patent (90 806 D0500121) in Hungary, was stimulated by the fact that during different kinds of research and analyses it is an important task to explore the influencing factors, elements and their connections. This is of primary importance especially at the early stage of research and analysis, because the negligence of these in the early stages results in the fact that those particular factors can be taken into account only during a repeated analysis.

Using gender schema theory, this study aims to explore how children’s graphic t-shirts from clothing retailers in the USA differed on gendered themes for graphic t-shirts targeting boys or girls, in addition to differences for shirts that were higher in cost.

This content analysis of children’s t-shirts included 866 child-targeted shirts taken from the online retail portals from 11 clothing retailers in the USA. Shirts were coded for gendered themes on the front torso part of the shirt and included traditional boy themes (e.g. aggression, instrumentality) and girl themes (e.g. compassion, passivity). In addition, the retail prices for each shirt were recorded at the time of data collection.

The results demonstrated that children’s graphic t-shirts starkly differentiate between femininity and masculinity based on their target. Boys’ shirts were significantly more likely to feature active themes, whereas girls’ shirts were more likely to focus on social belonging and interpersonal connection. Boys’ shirts were also more likely to display themes linked to dominance/aggression but not compassion. Girls’ shirts were more likely to tout both shyness and attention seeking. Finally, results generally showed that higher priced t-shirts were less likely to feature gender stereotypes than lower-priced t-shirts.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first known study that has looked at the marketing of children’s clothes in retail environments with a specific focus on gender and gender stereotyping.

This paper discusses the findings of a mixed-methods study of early childhood instructional coaches employed in state-funded preschool (aged three and four years) programs in the state of New Jersey (NJ) in the United States (US), highlighting a case study of one coach that provides an example of individual and organizational factors influencing the work.

An online survey was distributed to all coaches (master teachers) in 35 districts' early childhood programs. Two master teachers were then studied for a period of five months. During that time, three structured interviews were conducted, focused observations occurred each month, and coach logs were collected.

The findings of the data analyses illuminated both individual (i.e., a coach's own professional development) and organizational (i.e., varying interpretations of role) factors that influenced the work of the early childhood coaches.

The data in this paper is limited to one US state's approach to early childhood coaching. The case study data examined is limited to the contexts of the specific participating districts and master teachers involved. It is suggested that future research be conducted on a nationwide pool of instructional coaches.

The findings of this study highlight the role of the state in providing more guidance surrounding the primary responsibilities of the master teacher. It is suggested that further attention be placed on creating and sustaining a professional development network for the master teachers serving NJ's early childhood programs.

As one of the few statewide studies of instructional coaching in early childhood, this study provides insights into how policy is translated into practice.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the re‐branding of much management education and development under the heading of leadership and to identify the dangers this may bring particularly if it results in key management skills being neglected.

The authors use their extensive background in management education and development in the UK and abroad to consider the implications of the increasing emphasis on leadership as opposed to management education and development. Recent trends are identified as is both the distinction between and overlap between the terms leadership and management. Relevant literature is examined and the potential dangers of the re‐branding process identified

Increasing use is being made of the term leadership. Whilst there is considerable overlap between the concepts of leadership and management, the market appeal to providers and users of qualification and short course programmes implies that leadership is a higher level of organisational activity than management. This may be an unrealistic view of organisational activity and ignores the concept of strategic management. However, it may create a market pressure for people to aspire to be leaders rather than managers. Four specific potential dangers are identified. These are the lack of emphasis on the need to match people to situations, a failure to distinguish between process and task leadership, the general lack of obvious pathways for people to become leaders rather than managers and neglect of the development of critical managerial skills. Whilst much useful work may take place under the title leadership there is also the overall danger that some of the activity is superficial and even counter‐productive.

The paper is a timely and necessary counter‐balance to the bandwagon effect of the use of the term “leadership” in the generic area of management education and development. It encourages readers to examine carefully what is covered under leadership activities and the extent to which these meet real as opposed to status needs.

The purpose of this paper is to draw on the concepts of social capital in order to reveal the organizational conditions, including structural and relational factors, associated with reform-oriented instructional coaching (ROIC) in an urban school district.

An interpretivist approach was used to analyze organizational conditions enabling ROIC. Interview, observation and document data collected focused on coaching, leadership, and school-level organizational conditions. Qualitative data analyses, including coding and memoing, were used to summarize key information and quotes across data sources; this was followed by qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) to identify combinations of factors associated with reform-oriented coaching.

The findings identified particular structures, systems, and activities enabling ROIC at the school level, with social capital playing a role in facilitating or impeding implementation of such work. That is, relationships, routines, norms, and webs of interaction enabled coaching. Principals’ prioritization of coaching as an improvement lever and their persuasive framing of coaching, coupled with principal-coach collaboration, fostered a positive culture for ROIC.

This paper points to the vital role of collaboration amongst administrators, coaches, and teachers. Principals play a significant role in defining coaching, setting up structures, and creating conditions supportive of the implementation of ROIC. By managing structures and routines, principals can encourage coaching aligned with reform efforts to yield positive outcomes.

This research advances the field’s understanding of organizational factors influencing the enactment of ROIC. It uses QCA to reveal the value of leadership in shaping structural and relational conditions in a school site.