Analysing the role of ethical leadership in fostering teacher agency for inclusive digital pedagogical innovation

Abstract

The fast-tracking digitization of education presents critical ethical challenges, particularly in how leadership models shape or limit teachers’ professional agency in enhancing equitable and contextually responsive pedagogical innovation. This study explores the ethical tensions between teacher agency and technocratic leadership and considers how ethical leadership can support inclusive digital education. A literature review of 32 articles published between 2019 and 2024 was undertaken using Scopus, ERIC, EBSCOhost (Education Source), and Google Scholar, with screening based on specified inclusion and exclusion criteria. The retained studies were analyzed thematically using Ethical Leadership Theory through a three-phase coding process. Findings reveal that technocratic leadership often weakens teacher agency by prioritising compliance and standardization. In contrast, ethical leadership cultivates trust, collaboration, and equity, enabling teachers to act as agents of digital inclusion. Evidence shows that teachers are often positioned as frontline agents in digital reforms but excluded from strategic decision-making, whereas ethical leadership cultivates professional communities that enhance collaborative agency. The review also detects ethical dilemmas leaders face in balancing systemic digital directives with respect for teachers’ professional judgment. The study concludes that ethically grounded, context-sensitive leadership is essential for developing digital inclusion as a justice-oriented assignment rather than a purely technical intervention. It calls for leadership approaches that uphold teacher professionalism, distribute decision-making, and embed ethical responsibility into processes of digital reform.