A Look Inside the "Black Box": An Integrative Review of the Cognitive Decision-Making Processes Used by School Principals

In this integrative literature review, we synthesize the scant literature from the last 40 years of educational research on how school principals make difficult decisions. Reviewing 15 peer-reviewed articles, articles were coded for the methods used and their substantive findings. We review sampling techniques, the types of problems and methods used to elicit and capture decision-making performance, and the statistical and qualitative analyses conducted. The substantive findings cover five main themes: a decision-making model, differences between novices and experts, personal characteristics, decision-making skills, and general findings about the overall construct. The article concludes with directions for a research agenda.