Understanding how Turkish principals know to manage: An epistemological perspective of principals’ “Know How”

This study explores how school principals in Türkiye access and utilize different types of knowledge in their administrative processes, with a focus on the interplay between these types. It also aims to understand the factors that facilitate or hinder principals’ knowledge acquisition and to investigate whether knowledge use varies significantly by gender, education level, and seniority. The study employs a convergent mixed-methods design, integrating quantitative and qualitative data collected from school principals across 12 provinces in Türkiye. The quantitative data measured principals' reliance on various knowledge sources, while the qualitative data provided deeper insights into the challenges they face in accessing and utilizing knowledge. Data collection included surveys and in-depth interviews with school principals. Quantitative findings reveal that principals predominantly rely on explicit knowledge sources, such as management training and education legislation, while experiential and intuitive knowledge are less utilized. Qualitative data, however, underscores the importance of tacit knowledge, with principals frequently turning to peer-to-peer learning and personal experience. Barriers to knowledge access include heavy workloads, rapidly changing legislation, and limited professional development opportunities, which hinder principals’ ability to stay updated. The findings suggest that school principals would benefit from more holistic professional development programs that balance formal training with opportunities for experiential learning and peer collaboration. Addressing structural barriers, such as workload and inadequate access to timely legislative updates, would improve principals' capacity to integrate both explicit and tacit knowledge into their leadership practice.