El liderazgo educativo se conceptualiza a través de un marco relacional y se entiende empíricamente a través de metodologías relacionales cualitativas tales como la ética relacional, la ética del cuidado y la indagación narrativa. Datos empíricos de entrevistas narrativas revelaron que en muchos casos en los que directores de escuelas pulieron valores tales como el cuidado y atributos relacionales en sus prácticas diarias de liderazgo, hubo mayor probabilidad de que los aprendices respondieran a esas prácticas relacionales y de cuidado, de las cuales fueron testigos y las experimentaron.
Educational leadership is conceptualised through a relational framework and empirically understood through qualitative relational methodologies such as relational ethics, ethics of care and narrative inquiry. Empirical data from narrative interviews revealed that in many cases where the school principals honed values such as care and relational attributes in their daily leadership practices, learners were more likely to respond to such relational and caring practices, which they witnessed and experienced. It appears that relational methodologies can elicit relational leadership styles, which set caring and supportive examples for both teachers and learners, adding much worth to a favourable educational landscape.