Environmental education leadership–the perceptions of elementary school principals as expressed in their drawings and explanations

The recognition of the environmental crisis has created the need for environmental education (EE) development and leadership. Schools have a crucial role in promoting EE, which requires a deep organizational change to be led by school principals. Consequently, it is important to investigate principals’ leadership perceptions in the context of the environmental crisis. This qualitative study aimed to explore the term ‘environmental education leadership’ according to thirteen school principals deeply involved in EE implementation. The principals were interviewed after illustrating the term ‘EE leadership.’ Their drawings were analyzed via micro and a macro approaches. Through this process, four categories were identified: (1) drawing a story in a specific environment, (2) abstract, symbolic drawing, reflecting the term EE leadership, (3) EE leadership as a complex term, and (4) drawing the leader. The findings identified three types of leadership: the less effective, traditional one leader approach, distributive leadership, and the idea that everyone is a leader, which aligns with the holistic idea of EE in schools. Recommendations for practice include integrating educational, environmental, and leadership approaches, and engaging the support of policy-makers in implementing EE leadership training. Limitations and suggestions for further research are also discussed.