Educational leadership students’ perspectives on pedagogical leadership

The theoretical and practical underpinnings of the concept of pedagogical leadership remain ambiguous. The present study sought to elucidate the notion of pedagogical leadership by investigating students’ perceptions prior to their engagement with a module on educational leadership studies at three Finnish universities. The participants (N = 148) comprised students from education programmes for teachers in basic education and early childhood education, as well as in-service training. Utilising a discursive approach, the present study analysed the articulations that participants gave to pedagogical leadership. The findings of the present study demonstrated that students specialising in basic education concentrated on teaching and learning in their articulation, whilst those enrolled in the early childhood education programme adopted a more expansive perspective on pedagogical leadership. This study contributes to the discussion around conceptual clarity and its relation to the contextual aspects affecting the perception of the concept.