Tres Décadas de Investigación sobre Liderazgo Educativo en España. Un Mapeo Sistemático

The growing importance of educational leadership in recent decades makes it necessary to review the state of research in this field carried out in Spain from 1991 to 2019. After studying how Spanish research on educational leadership has been positioned from an international perspective, it is reviews the evolution of said literature in Spain through the systematic mapping method. Three databases are analyzed (Web of Science, Scopus and Index-CSIC) and 244 articles that meet the search characteristics are identified. Based on the selected documents, the evolution and geographical distribution of the articles, the most relevant topics, and the authors, journals, universities and research groups that show the greatest vitality in this field are described. It concludes by pointing out the vigor of research on educational leadership in Spain, especially since 2012, in terms of quantity and quality of publications. However, it is necessary to increase the impact at an international level and develop underexplored thematic lines, such as leadership and the socioeconomic effects of education. This systematic mapping can serve as a basis for future studies in Spain or in other countries and contribute to the knowledge of educational leadership from a global perspective.