Signature pedagogies in educational leadership preparation: university academics’ practices and reflections from Türkiye

This article explores the signature pedagogies enacted by university academics in Türkiye’s Non-Thesis Educational Administration Master’s (NTEA-M) programmes, which are designed to prepare effective school leaders. Using a qualitative, phenomenological design, data were collected from 12 academics across 10 universities specialising in educational leadership. The findings reveal a range of pedagogical strategies grounded in situational, transformational and instructional leadership theories, alongside an emphasis on critical skills such as communication, problem-solving and collaboration. Ethical values, including responsibility, justice, honesty and transparency, emerged as central to the formation of leadership. The study highlights ongoing tensions between theory and practice, and it proposes actionable recommendations such as strengthening school–university partnerships and embedding field-based learning. By foregrounding the lived pedagogical choices and situations, this study contributes to the signature pedagogy literature from within Türkiye’s distinctive policy and educational context.