Reframing educational management in the digital era: A bibliometric and conceptual analysis

This study traced the intellectual development and thematic evolution of educational management research amid digital transformation and global educational change. This study conducted a systematic bibliometric analysis of 547 Scopus-indexed articles (2016–2025) using science mapping, co-citation analysis, and keyword co-occurrence network analysis to examine publication trends, thematic clusters, and international collaboration patterns. The findings demonstrate a clear shift toward technology-driven, leadership-centred, and crisis-responsive scholarship, reflecting the growing influence of digitalisation and evidence-based practice, alongside the still-emerging and insufficiently integrated presence of Artificial Intelligence (AI), in current educational management. Co-citation and keyword co-occurrence analyses also reveal distinct thematic clusters that indicate a degree of fragmentation in the literature and where theoretical gaps persist in the field. By bringing together scattered scholarly contributions and mapping emerging research directions, this study advances a cohesive conceptual framework for educational management and strengthens the theoretical foundations of educational leadership. Additionally, this study introduces the Educational Management in the Digital Transformation Era (EMDTE) Framework as an original theoretical contribution, synthesising five interdependent dimensions, comprising educational leadership, digital governance, data-driven decision-making, AI integration and ethics, and sustainable educational outcomes. These insights yield a structured future research agenda spanning eight critical frontiers, including generative AI governance, learning analytics, blockchain credentialing, cybersecurity, digital equity, AI ethics, data-driven decision-making, and organisational resilience. This agenda offers scholars and policymakers an evidence-informed roadmap for advancing educational management in the digital era.