Principals’ Transformational Leadership and Its Role in Shaping Teachers’ Differentiated Instruction and Student Achievement: A Systematic Literature Review

Dede Wiwif Furqoni, Diding Nurdin, Nurdin Nurdin

Abstract


Abstract: This study aimed to examine how principals’ transformational leadership is positioned in the recent literature as a factor shaping teachers’ differentiated instruction and student achievement. Using a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) supported by bibliometric mapping, the study analyzed 27 Scopus-indexed publications published between 2021 and 2026. The dataset was retrieved through a structured search strategy using the keywords transformational leadership, principal or school leader, and differentiated learning or adaptive teaching, and was analyzed descriptively through Scopus indicators and VOSviewer keyword co-occurrence mapping. The findings show that differentiated instruction occupies the most central position in the literature, functioning as the conceptual link between leadership, teaching practice, learner diversity, and academic outcomes. The bibliometric results also reveal that the field remains concentrated in a limited number of authors, institutions, and countries, with Australia and the United States dominating publication output. Substantively, the reviewed studies indicate that principals’ transformational leadership influences student achievement mainly through indirect pathways, especially by improving teacher motivation, professional capacity, collaboration, and readiness to implement differentiated instruction. However, the relationship is not linear, as its effectiveness depends on contextual conditions such as teacher beliefs, assessment literacy, class composition, institutional support, and national policy environments. This study concludes that transformational leadership should be understood as a catalytic mechanism that strengthens teachers’ ability to deliver differentiated instruction in heterogeneous classrooms. It is therefore suggested that future research adopt more integrative and comparative designs, while policymakers and school leaders should prioritize professional development, formative assessment support, and collaborative cultures that enable differentiated instruction to be implemented more consistently and effectively.
Keywords: differentiated instruction; school principals; student achievement; transformational leadership.

Full Text:

PDF

References


Adeoye, M.A., Baharun, H. and Munawwaroh, I. (2025) ‘Transformational leadership in education: Harmonising accountability, innovation and global citizenship’, Kharisma: Jurnal Administrasi dan Manajemen Pendidikan, 4(1), pp. 14–30. Available at: https://doi.org/10.59373/kharisma.v4i1.68.

Alaro, A.G., Thuo, M.W. and Lodesso, S.L. (2025) ‘Paradoxical effects of principals’ leadership styles on school performance in government secondary schools in Wolaita Zone South Ethiopia’, Discover Education, 4, p. 536. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s44217-025-00996-4.

Anggoro, S. et al. (2024) ‘Differentiated instruction based on multiple intelligences as promising joyful and meaningful learning’, International Journal of Evaluation and Research in Education, 13(2), pp. 1194–1204. Available at: https://doi.org/10.11591/ijere.v13i2.24791.

Bleukx, N. et al. (2024) ‘The interplay between teacher beliefs, instructional practices, and students’ reading achievement: National evidence from PIRLS 2021 using path analysis’, Large-scale Assessments in Education, 12, p. 25. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40536-024-00212-z.

Boateng, S. and Kumi-Manu, R.N. (2026) ‘Assessing pre-service science teachers’ academic knowledge and misconceptions about evolution and genetics concepts’, European Journal of STEM Education, 11(1), p. 8. Available at: https://doi.org/10.20897/ejsteme/17966.

Cansoy, R., Gümüş, S. and Walker, A. (2025) ‘Challenges in implementing instructional leadership: Insights from Turkish school principals’, Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 53(5), pp. 991–1015. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1177/17411432241263915.

Chen, D., Ning, B. and Bos, W. (2022) ‘Relationship between principal leadership style and student achievement: A comparative study between Germany and China’, SAGE Open, 12(2), pp. 1–18. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440221094601.

Easa, E. and Blonder, R. (2022) ‘Development and validation of customized pedagogical kits for high-school chemistry teaching and learning: The redox reaction example’, Chemistry Teacher International, 4(1), pp. 71–95. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1515/cti-2021-0022.

Gan, S. et al. (2023) ‘Differentiated instruction efficiency of the design courses for engineering majors in a smart education environment’, International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning, 18(9), pp. 86–100. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v18i09.39373.

Ghimire, N. and Nutta, J.W. (2026) ‘Can teacher preparation impact multilingual learner achievement?: A study of multilingual student learning gains in pre-service teachers’ internship classes’, TESOL Journal, 17, p. e70120. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1002/tesj.70120.

Gibbs, K. (2023) ‘Voices in practice: Challenges to implementing differentiated instruction by teachers and school leaders in an Australian mainstream secondary school’, The Australian Educational Researcher, 50, pp. 1217–1232. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13384-022-00551-2.

Gong, Y. et al. (2025) ‘The impact of feedback literacy on reflective learning types in Chinese high school students: Based on latent profile analysis’, Frontiers in Psychology, 16, p. 1516253. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1516253.

Gümüş, S. et al. (2024) ‘Finding the missing link: Do principal qualifications make a difference in student achievement?’, Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 52(1), pp. 28–51. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1177/17411432211051909.

Huangal-Scheineder, S. et al. (2024) ‘Leadership and its impact on educational institutions: A systematic review’, International Journal of Evaluation and Research in Education, 13(6), pp. 3628–3640. Available at: https://doi.org/10.11591/ijere.v13i6.29169.

Huong, T.T. (2025) ‘Differentiated instruction in school practices: Managerial implications for teacher professional development’, AsTEN Journal of Teacher Education [Preprint], (Special Issue). Available at: https://doi.org/10.56278/asten.vi.3343.

Islam, J. and Rahman, S.N.B.A. (2025) ‘Impact of flipped classroom implementation on ESL teaching effectiveness in Bangladeshi secondary schools’, International Research Journal of Multidisciplinary Scope, 6(4), pp. 607–616. Available at: https://doi.org/10.47857/irjms.2025.v06i04.06967.

Magableh, I.S. and Abdullah, A. (2022) ‘Differentiated instruction effectiveness on the secondary stage students’ reading comprehension proficiency level in Jordan’, International Journal of Evaluation and Research in Education, 11(1), pp. 459–466. Available at: https://doi.org/10.11591/ijere.v11i1.21971.

Mat Yusoff, S., Hao, L.J. and Basal, M.H. (2025) ‘Investigating the influence of pedagogical content knowledge on formative assessment practices in Islamic religious education of Malaysian secondary schools’, International Journal of Asia Pacific Studies, 21(2), pp. 89–113. Available at: https://doi.org/10.21315/ijaps2025.21.2.5.

Mikayilova, U., Alasgarova, G. and Peken, N. (2025) ‘The role of principal and leadership styles in student achievement: Case of post-post-Soviet Azerbaijan’, European Education, 57(4), pp. 312–326. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/10564934.2025.2559317.

Morrison, A. et al. (2025) ‘Examining differences among K-12 teachers’ motivation for online teaching’, Online Learning, 29(4), pp. 162–173. Available at: https://doi.org/10.24059/olj.v29i4.5218.

Pahrudin, A. et al. (2025) ‘Teacher readiness for deep learning in Islamic education: A Rasch model analysis of challenges and opportunities’, Journal of Teaching and Learning, 19(4), pp. 262–283. Available at: https://doi.org/10.22329/jtl.v19i4.9573.

Pozas, M. and Letzel-Alt, V. (2026) ‘How effective are the differentiated instructional practices of my teacher? A study into the effects of differentiated instruction on students’ socio-emotional variables’, Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs, 26(2), p. e70073. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1111/1471-3802.70073.

Rijal, A., Aswarliansyah and Waluyo, B. (2025) ‘Effectiveness of differentiated learning in mathematics: Insights from elementary school students’, Journal of Education and Learning, 19(1), pp. 241–248. Available at: https://doi.org/10.11591/edulearn.v19i1.21806.

Rufaidah, D., Andayani and Wardani, N.E. (2025) ‘Multiliteracy-based differentiated instruction for language learning in the Center of Excellence Vocational High Schools’, World Journal of English Language, 15(3), pp. 90–102. Available at: https://doi.org/10.5430/wjel.v15n3p90.

Salar, R. and Turgut, U. (2021) ‘Effect of differentiated instruction and 5E learning cycle on academic achievement and self-efficacy of students in physics lesson’, Science Education International, 32(1), pp. 4–13. Available at: https://doi.org/10.33828/sei.v32.i1.1.

Subandiyah, H. et al. (2025) ‘The impact of differentiated instruction on student engagement and achievement in Indonesian language learning’, Cogent Education, 12(1), p. 2516378. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2025.2516378.

Wudthayagorn, J. and Nipaspong, P. (2025) ‘Enhancing predictive validity in the English placement test: Evidence and insights from a Thai public university’, Language Testing in Asia, 15, p. 69. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40468-025-00408-2.

Xiao, F. and Sun, L. (2021) ‘Students’ motivation and affection profiles and their relation to mathematics achievement, persistence, and behaviors’, Frontiers in Psychology, 11, p. 533593. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.533593.

Zhao, Z., Saidin, K. and Jaafar, F.M. (2025) ‘The influence of transformational leadership on teacher job performance’, Indian Journal of Information Sources and Services, 15(1), pp. 332–344. Available at: https://doi.org/10.51983/ijiss-2025.IJISS.15.1.43.


Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Copyright (c) 2026 JMSP (Jurnal Manajemen dan Supervisi Pendidikan)

Hasil gambar untuk logo zotero ukuran kecil

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

View My Stats