Educational Technology Leadership and Digital Transformation in Secondary Schools in South West Nigeria: A Grounded Theory Study

This study develops a grounded theory of educational technology leadership and its role in driving digital transformation in public secondary schools in South West Nigeria. Despite the proliferation of digital technology policy initiatives in Nigerian secondary education, the leadership practices that enable meaningful institutional transformation rather than superficial technology adoption remain theoretically underdeveloped. Grounded theory offers the methodological rigour needed to inductively construct theory from the real-world experiences of educational technology leaders in the South West context. The study employs a Constructivist Grounded Theory design following Charmaz, with theoretical sampling across 15 secondary schools in Lagos, Ogun, Osun, Oyo, Ondo, and Ekiti States. Data are gathered through 48 in-depth interviews and 20 non-participant observations of school technology committees and leadership meetings over 10 months. Data are analysed using open, axial, and selective coding, with constant comparative analysis guiding theoretical development. The substantive grounded theory that emerges identifies the core category of Transformative Technology Stewardship, encompassing five theoretical properties: visionary technology alignment, infrastructure advocacy, pedagogical integration coaching, digital equity sensitivity, and institutional learning facilitation. The study makes an original theoretical contribution by constructing the first grounded theory of educational technology leadership in the Nigerian secondary school context, filling a gap in both African educational technology and school leadership research. Recommendations address the professionalisation of the educational technology leadership role. Keywords: educational technology leadership, digital transformation, grounded theory, secondary schools, South West Nigeria.