EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP IN CONTEMPORARY SCIENTIFIC DISCOURSE

This paper summarizes the arguments in the scientific discussion of educational leadership as an interdisciplinary, dynamically developing research field. The main purpose of the research is to conduct a bibliometric and terminological analysis of scientific publications on “educational leadership” indexed in the Scopus database during 2010–2025 in order to identify the structural characteristics of the research domain, thematic clusters, and the main directions of its development. Systematization of the literature sources and approaches to solving the problem indicates that, despite the significant number of studies, the scientific discourse remains fragmented and lacks a holistic understanding of its internal structure and conceptual interrelations. The relevance of this scientific problem lies in the need to systematize and structurally interpret the rapidly expanding knowledge base in educational leadership under conditions of globalization and digital transformation. Investigation of the topic in the paper is carried out in the following logical sequence: analysis of theoretical approaches to educational leadership, bibliometric assessment of publication activity, visualization and clustering of key terms, identification of dominant research foci, and knowledge mapping of knowledge within the field. Methodological tools of the research include bibliometric analysis, term co-occurrence analysis, clustering techniques, and visualization using specialized software. The research period covers 2010–2025, which represents the most intensive stage of development of the scientific discourse. The object of research is the body of scientific publications indexed in the Scopus database, which provides a representative and high-quality empirical basis for analyzing global academic trends. The paper presents the results of an empirical analysis of 3130 publications, which showed a significant increase in scientific interest in educational leadership and revealed six major thematic clusters: effectiveness and achievement; educational leadership; higher education context; leadership development; inclusive educational environment; and competencies and programs. The research empirically confirms and theoretically supports the claim that the contemporary scientific discourse on educational leadership is characterized by a shift toward an integrative understanding that combines outcome-oriented, processmanagement, and human-centered dimensions. Knowledge mapping enabled the identification of the research field's internal logic and the interconnections among its components. The scientific novelty of the study lies in combining bibliometric analysis with knowledge mapping, which enabled moving from a descriptive analysis of publication activity to the interpretation of the architecture of the scientific field. The results of the study can be useful for researchers in identifying promising areas for further investigation, for educators and policymakers in designing leadership development programs, and for educational institutions in developing strategic management approaches based on evidence-based insights.