A Scoping Review of Followership Literature in Compulsory Schooling Contexts

This scoping review examines 61 peer-reviewed studies (1984–2024) on followership in compulsory schooling to map existing research and highlight future research areas. Findings show a predominance of quantitative studies, with limited attention to relational and co-constructive frameworks. Middle leadership and cross-cultural contexts are underrepresented. The review highlights a lack of focus on building followership capacity and its impact on school culture. While followership is acknowledged as critical to organizational success, its reciprocal role with leadership remains underexplored. The review calls for diverse methodologies and greater attention to sociocultural factors to inform more collaborative and sustainable leadership practices in schools.