The Role of Ethical Leadership in Fostering Character Education for Upper Primary Students in Gulf Private Schools During the Digital Era: An Integrative Literature Review

Abstract

The current study focuses on examining the role of ethical leadership in fostering character education for upper primary grade students in private schools, particularly in the Gulf Region, while integrating Information Technology and its tools in the academic system. This study adopted a structured integrated literature review methodology guided by Torraco’s framework. A narrative thematic analysis approach was used to examine existing literature and its findings. The researcher addressed keywords, assigned codes, then identified patterns and grouped them into meaningful themes to develop a conceptual framework demonstrating the connections between the main concepts of this study. The research was guided by two theoretical frameworks: Ethical Leadership Theory and Character Education Framework. The outcomes led to the creation of the conceptual framework while also addressing the research questions by demonstrating the significant role of ethical leadership in encouraging teachers and their practices to shape moral values in their daily sessions. Furthermore, this study highlights the influence of integrating digital tools in primary-grades education, which can be a double-sided matter having both positive and unpleasant, challenging implications. This is particularly relevant to the Gulf region, where academic settings majorly rely on technology. In this context, moral leadership plays a crucial role in providing specific training to assist educators, and primary-grade teachers in particular, in using digital devices successfully in their classes.