DOI: 10.30828/real.1997171 ISSN: 2564-7261

Higher Education Leadership in the Arab World: A Systematic Review of Empirical Evidence

Khalid Arar, Rania Sawalhi
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This article systematically reviews empirical evidence on higher education leadership in the Arab World. The review focused on empirical and conceptual studies published in peer-reviewed journals between 1980 and 2023. It drew on bibliographic data from Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus and followed the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines, including identifying data sources, the search strategy, data collection, eligibility criteria, data selection, and data analysis. We conducted a descriptive analysis to trace the development, volume, geographic distribution, and trends of research from a broad perspective, followed by a thematic analysis of the main topical areas. The paper first presents an overall descriptive macro-outlook of study volume, geographic distribution, and trends, and then the main topical areas and themes, including governance policies, leadership styles, technology integration, social change, organizational culture, and research development, with subthemes for each. The paper concludes with theoretical and methodological reflections on current research features and recommendations for a future research agenda, policy, governance, and how leadership can better catalyze and address the immediate context and global trends in higher education development.

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