Ahmet Aypay

Structure and agency are two of the most important issues in the social sciences, in general and in sociology in particular (Emirbayer and Mische 1998). The transformation of higher education (HE) ...

1. Elite schools are not only sites of academic excellence but also institutions that shape and secure particular forms of social identity and distinction. In the Turkish context, elite schools occ...

Recent societal and environmental challenges have necessitated universities expanding their contributions to regional development beyond economic impact, leading to a growing body of scholarly work across diverse contexts. At the same time, resource constraints and rising accountability demands have underscored the need for improved evaluation approaches. In response, this study conducts a systematic review of peer-reviewed literature to synthesize how universities’ aims, strategies, and practices in regional development are examined and assessed. Our analysis encompasses both economic and societal dimensions, as well as the mechanisms and indicators used to evaluate these activities. The findings reveal a predominant focus on financial aspects, with relatively limited attention to societal and environmental roles. Moreover, the complexity of university-region relationships and challenges in data collection often limit quality evaluations to descriptive and output-oriented indicators. However, more structured and context-sensitive approaches are emerging in some studies. Drawing on insights from our conceptual framing and the reviewed studies, we support calls for national and institutional policies that promote more balanced university efforts across regional development dimensions and diverse forms of engaged scholarship. We also advocate for the development of contextualized quality indicators that incorporate alternative data sources and more nuanced assessment approaches.

Purpose: Although theoretical approaches widely recognize that leadership can shape school culture, empirical research on how culture is associated with the emergence and functioning of distributed leadership and how this form of leadership contributes to organizational justice remains limited. However, in school contexts, cultural dynamics are directly associated with how leadership is experienced and how justice is perceived. By challenging prevailing assumptions in the literature, this research seeks to provide empirical insight into how cultural dynamics distribute leadership practices and, in turn, are associated with perceptions of justice within school settings. Design/methodology/approach: The study employed a temporal cross-sectional design to investigate the mediating relationship among school culture, organizational justice and distributed leadership variables. The final data consisted of three scales administered to 391 teachers in Gaziantep, Türkiye. Findings: The results indicated that distributed leadership mediated the relationship between school culture and organizational justice, and this mediation remained robust after controlling for gender, school type and socioeconomic context. These results contribute to empirical testing of the relationship between school culture and leadership and of the role of distributed leadership as an organizational property. Practical implications: Considering that leadership practices are a key factor in the transmission of culture, focusing on understanding culture within leadership-based in-service training programs could be a strategic step for policymakers to positively influence employees’ perceptions of the organization and, consequently, organizational behaviour. Social implications: Integrating efforts to understand and strengthen school culture into professional development courses may facilitate the positioning of distributed leadership in schools and contribute to improving organizational outcomes. Originality/value: To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first of its kind to use school culture as a root metaphor in line with the anthropological approach to the culture-leadership relationship and to treat distributed leadership as a mediating variable. Leadership cannot directly manipulate school culture; rather, culture evolves through shared practices and meanings. Hence, it significantly contributes to the educational leadership and management literature. In addition, this study is essential in that its results confirm Schein’s culture leadership model.

This study delves into the academic production networks inherent in Turkish higher education studies, with a particular focus on the impact of gender inequality. We employed a secondary data analysis approach, utilizing comprehensive data retrieved from the Turkish National Thesis Center database. The research data encompasses a total of 854 doctoral dissertations submitted between the years 1967 and 2020. The methodology is designed to assess the pivotal characteristics of doctoral supervisors, PhD candidates, and committees whilst exploring the roles of several parameters viz. gender, academic title, and multidisciplinary collaboration within these networks. The data analysis includes frequencies and percentages to better identify the trends and patterns. The findings reveal a significant gender imbalance in the Turkish academic landscape. Male academics occupy a rather disproportionately higher number of leadership positions compared to their female counterparts. The networking dynamics appear to work against women and junior faculty, multidisciplinary endeavors are quite rare, unlike the characteristics of the field. Fortunately, the number of female doctoral students is on the rise. Based on the research results, we suggest both cultural and structural arrangements to support women researchers and women’s studies such as funding and mentoring. These measures are essential for fostering an environment where all academics, regardless of gender, can thrive and contribute to the advancement of science.