The Influence of Parental Cultural Capital on Developing Professional Leadership Practices in Elite Schools

Abstract

This study investigates the ways that parental cultural capital influences the leadership behaviours of principals working in elite schools in Türkiye. Designed as a qualitative case study, the research reported here draws on data collected through semi-structured interviews with eight principals from long-established and academically ambitious schools in ?stanbul, Türkiye. The findings suggest that principals, over time, internalize the high standards and expectations embedded in their school cultures, which gradually transform their leadership dispositions. Furthermore, the study reveals that an administrative habitus begins to form and institutionalize in alignment with the dominant forms of cultural capital within these settings, enabling principals to lead in ways that transcend conventional administrative norms. © 2026 Society for Educational Studies.