Leadership Theories and Confucianism in Education: Connections, Gaps, and a Future Agenda

The contextualization of leadership theories within educational praxis is shaped by local socio-cultural contexts, for which Confucian societies in East and Southeast Asia serve as good examples. Focusing on these societies, many previous educational studies have theoretically and empirically discussed the contextualization of leadership theories. However, few of them have systematically explored how Confucianism and leadership theories connect, interact, and complement with each other in the educational landscape. This systematic review on relevant English publications maps the interplay between leadership theories and Confucianism in education. It reveals the theoretical and practical connections between Confucianism and leadership theories, Confucian leadership ideas in education, implications of Confucianism for reexamining leadership theories in education, and the contributions of leadership theories to rethinking Confucianism regarding its leadership ideas and practices in education of contemporary societies. Based on these findings, we argue that synthesizing leadership theories and Confucianism can promote culturally grounded educational leadership practices, reciprocally enrich both knowledge systems, and better meet the practical and theoretical needs of educational development in Confucian societies.