The Impact of Headmasters' Culturally Responsive Leadership on the Development of Students with Special Educational Needs in Inclusive Education Programs: A Systematic Literature Review (SLR)

Abstract

Headmasters' Culturally Responsive Leadership (HCRL) is increasingly recognized as an important element in creating an inclusive and equitable school environment, especially for students with special educational needs (SEN) in the Inclusive Education Program (IEP). This study aims to systematically examine the impact of headmasters' culturally responsive leadership on the development of SEN, covering academic, social, emotional and student well-being aspects. This study emphasizes the need to strengthen culturally responsive leadership practices among headmasters as an important strategy to ensure the success and sustainability of IEP. This Systematic Literature Review (SLR) was conducted based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyse (PRISMA) guidelines by analyzing published empirical articles. The study methodology involved a systematic literature review that included planning, conducting and reporting the review. This process involved searching and evaluating articles from databases such as Mycite, MyJurnal, Google Scholar, Jstor and Scopus for articles published from 2019 to 2025. The results of the study showed that out of the 30 articles reviewed, only 16 articles were found to be relevant. Overall, the study showed that there were five themes that could be classified in terms of past research themes in Malaysia and abroad. These themes are 1) culturally responsive leadership, 2) principals, 3) development, 4) students with special educational needs and 5) Inclusive Education Programs. The implications of this study are hoped to be a guide for policymakers, school administrators and researchers in improving the quality of inclusive education in Malaysia.