Introduction and Objective:Emerging technologies—from artificial intelligence and big data to digital learning platforms—have not only introduced new tools for education but have also begun to redefine fundamental concepts such as learning, teaching, and educational leadership. Despite these transformations, theorizing in the field of educational management continues to rely largely on pre‑digital frameworks and an instrumental view of technology. This study aims to examine the possibility of the emergence of “technology‑based theories” in educational management—approaches that are constructed not merely about technology, but with and within technological environments.

Methodology:This study is a theoretical–analytical inquiry employing an interpretive approach. Through philosophical analysis and a systematic review of the literature, it explores the evolution of the concept of technology, its relationship with educational sciences, and the epistemological foundations underlying technology‑based theorizing.

Findings:The analysis indicates that the concept of technology has evolved from instrumental interpretations (Taylor, Wiener) to substantive approaches (Heidegger, Ellul), social constructivism (Bijker, Law), and post‑phenomenology (Ihde, Verbeek). Within educational sciences as well, functionalist views of technology have gradually given way to critical perspectives that understand technology as a cultural, political, and ontological phenomenon. In contemporary social sciences, the relationship between theory and technology has shifted from an instrumental association to a constitutive and co‑organizational one. Accordingly, technology‑based theories require a “lived‑digital rationality” and a departure from several entrenched assumptions: the human/technology dichotomy, the notion of theory as purely abstract modeling, and the conception of the school as a closed system. The metaphor of “theory as cognitive architecture” offers a novel framework for understanding theorizing in technological contexts, wherein theory functions as a space for organizing understanding, designing relationships, and reconstructing meaning in engagement with the world.

Conclusion:The possibility of technology‑based theories in educational management should not be seen as a natural extension of existing theories but rather as emerging from an epistemological transformation. Such a transformation entails changes in language, metaphors, spatial conceptions, forms of participation, and modes of being with technology. By outlining this perspective, the present study offers a preliminary step toward theorizing that is responsive to the digital lifeworlds of contemporary schools.