Despite significant changes in the Swedish preschool curriculum in 2018, there remains a degree of uncertainty regarding the preschool teacher’s leadership role. The purpose of this systematic literature review is to explore how leadership in preschool settings influences and interacts with preschool teachers’ pedagogical responsibility. This literature review aims to answer the following research questions:

1. Which leadership factors are emphasized in the literature as central to strengthening preschool teachers’ pedagogical responsibility?

2. How are the different roles and positionings of preschool teachers, childcarer and principals within the work team discussed in relation to educational responsibility and leadership in current research? 

The purpose of this systematic literature review is to explore how leadership in preschool settings influences and interacts with preschool teachers’ pedagogical responsibility.

The study is based on an analysis of 13 peer-reviewed articles focusing on leadership and responsibility within early childhood education. Four inclusion criteria were applied to narrow down the selection to relevant research. The collected material was analyzed using qualitative text analysis and coding, resulting in five key themes: 1pedagogical leadership as competence and professional development, equality within the preschool organization, leadership development as an ongoing learning process, collaboration and trust among staff, and the relationship between leadership and responsibility. The findings indicate that leadership plays a crucial role in shaping, interpreting, and developing pedagogical responsibility in preschool practice. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of the factors influencing the relationship between leadership and pedagogical responsibility, as well as the challenges and opportunities within this interaction. The results highlight key patterns and relationships based on the identified themes, focusing on various aspects of pedagogical responsibility and leadership.