A scoping review of school leadership practices in Lesson Study

Abstract

There is growing interest in the value of teacher–learning communities for practice improvement. Lesson Study is an approach to build capacity, strengthen professional communities among teachers, and improve teaching. This article explores the function of leadership in LS. Literature searches were conducted in social science and education databases (Web of Science, Scopus, ERIC) with no time restrictions. The search focused on three areas: (1) studies on Lesson Study, (2) leadership and (3) elementary or middle school. Articles were screened by title and abstract, and the remaining articles were screened in full text. Thematic analysis identified facilitators and barriers for teachers’ professional development. Results show a lack of research on Lesson Study leadership until 2011. Of the 15 studies included, 9 were qualitative, 4 mixed-methods, and only 2 quantitative. Thematic analysis revealed a limited focus on school leadership practices, emphasizing their importance for Lesson Study sustainability, tied to five helping factors and two obstacles. Key factors include collaborative vision building, effective time and resource management, trust, school–university collaborations, and multilevel leadership.