Bureaucratic Leadership of School Leaders in Senior High School: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Bureaucratic leadership remains widely practiced in senior high schools, especially in centralized, policy-driven education systems. Its emphasis on hierarchy, formal rules, and accountability helps maintain order and policy compliance, but its influence on leadership practice and school outcomes varies across contexts. This scoping review examined the existing literature on bureaucratic leadership in senior high school settings, with attention to how it has evolved in recent post-pandemic studies. Using the Population–Concept–Context (PCC) framework and following PRISMA and Joanna Briggs Institute guidelines, the review synthesized 25 empirical, theoretical, and conceptual studies published from 2015 to 2025. The findings show that bureaucratic leadership remains important in supporting administrative stability and standardized school governance. At the same time, rigid bureaucratic structures may reduce teacher autonomy, limit instructional flexibility, and increase leadership workload. Recent studies also point to the growing use of enabling and hybrid approaches, where formal structures are balanced with teacher participation, adaptability, and resilience-oriented leadership practices. The review suggests that the effectiveness of bureaucratic leadership largely depends on how formal structures are interpreted and applied in specific school contexts. Overall, the study offers an integrative view of bureaucratic leadership as an evolving, context-sensitive approach and identifies areas requiring further research, particularly in senior high school settings.