Participative Leadership in Ghanaian Basic and Senior High Schools: A Systematic Literature Review

This systematic literature review examined studies on participative leadership within Ghanaian basic and senior high schools published between 2018 and 2026. The review was motivated by growing concerns surrounding school management, teacher workload, infrastructure pressure, and institutional challenges associated with the implementation of the Free SHS policy. Following the PRISMA framework, studies were retrieved from databases including Scopus, Web of Science, ERIC, Google Scholar, SpringerLink, and Emerald Insight. After screening and eligibility assessment, 22 studies were included in the final synthesis. The reviewed studies largely associated participative leadership with teacher involvement, communication, collaboration, organizational commitment, and aspects of school improvement. In several school contexts, teachers appeared more supportive of school activities where leadership practices allowed greater participation in routine decisions and instructional processes. At the same time, the findings suggest that participation within Ghanaian schools often operates within institutional conditions shaped by centralized governance, workload demands, resource limitations, and administrative pressure. The review also identified methodological patterns within the literature. Quantitative and review-based studies appeared more frequently than qualitative and mixed-method approaches, while most studies focused mainly on basic and senior high school settings. Overall, the review suggests that participative leadership remains important within Ghanaian schools, although sustaining collaborative leadership practices may become difficult where institutional support, flexibility, and resources remain limited.

Participative leadership; Basic schools; Senior high schools; School leadership; Ghanaian education

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