School leadership development in China: a case study of schools in one district education bureau

Taking a case study approach and utilizing Hoggan’s transformative learning (TL) typology and criteria as a framework, we examined the self-reported TL experiences of 12 local school leaders in Beijing, China. These local school leaders gained cross-cultural learning from a school leadership development program that was designed to prepare school leaders for education internationalization. Our data analysis indicated that these 12 local school leaders had experienced significant changes in their educational epistemology, self-identity, and school leadership practices. Further examining these changes at the intersection of the Confucian and Western cultural heritages, we discovered that these school leaders had developed an integrated approach to education, started to consciously reflect on what their social- and self-identities entail, and began the process of transitioning from conservative to appreciative school leadership practices.

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Exploring causal relationships qualitatively: An empirical illustration of how causal relationships become visible across episodes and contexts

Journal of Educational Change ◽

10.1007/s10833-021-09415-5 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Ruth Jensen

Keyword(s):

Leadership Development ◽

School Improvement ◽

School Leadership ◽

Quantitative Research ◽

Causal Relationships ◽

Process Data ◽

Improvement Program ◽

School Leadership Development ◽

Cultural Historical Activity ◽

Empirical Illustration

AbstractCausal relationships are traditionally examined in quantitative research. However, this article informs the discussion surrounding the potential use of qualitative data to explore causal relationships qualitatively through an empirical illustration of a school leadership development team. As school leadership development is supposed to offer continuing development to practicing school leaders, it brings into question the issue of causal relationships. This study analyzes audio and video recordings from 10 workshops involving a team of principals, municipality leaders, and researchers who met over two years to support the principals in leading a local school improvement program. The process data are organized into episodes and analyzed in three layers of causation an interpretative layer, a contradictory layer, and an agentive layer grounded in cultural-historical activity theory. When tracing a problem statement across episodes and relating the processes to events in a principalâ€™s practice, causal relationships became visible across the episodes and contexts. The argument, then, is that the results are achieved in the processes. As such, process data can reveal causal relationships that quantitative data cannot.

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Community School Leadership Development in Papua New Guinea: perspectives for change

South Pacific Journal of Teacher Education ◽

10.1080/0311213940220207 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 22 (2) ◽

pp. 177-188 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Geoff Berry

Keyword(s):

Leadership Development ◽

School Leadership ◽

Papua New Guinea ◽

New Guinea ◽

Community School ◽

School Leadership Development

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School leadership preparation and development in Kenya

International Journal of Educational Management ◽

10.1108/ijem-10-2013-0158 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 29 (3) ◽

pp. 355-367 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Gladys Asuga ◽

Scott Eacott ◽

Jill Scevak

Keyword(s):

Leadership Development ◽

School Leadership ◽

Return On Investment ◽

Student Outcomes ◽

Leadership Preparation ◽

Content Type ◽

International Trends ◽

School Leadership Development ◽

The Impact ◽

Current Provision

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the quality of the current provision for school leadership in Kenya, the extent to which they have an impact on student outcomes and the return on school leadership preparation and development investment. Design/methodology/approach – The paper draws from educational leadership, management and administration courses delivered by universities and other institutions to aspiring and practising educational leaders in Kenya. It employs a method for evaluating return on leadership development investment first articulated by Eacott (2013). Findings – While there is growth in provision, consistent with international trends, this provision is more recognised for its standardisation than points of distinction; there is minimal attention to identified dimensions of leadership leading to higher student outcomes which raises questions regarding the universality of school leadership preparation and development curriculum; and the high course costs of current provision is an inhibiting factor in assessing the return on investment in school leadership preparation and development. Research limitations/implications – The study was limited to publicly available documents from a limited sample of institutions. There is a need for more studies in the area. Practical implications – Institutions seeking to offer school leadership development have grounds on which to make decision about what programs their school leaders should undertake in terms of cost and quality. The study provides institution offering school leadership development courses evidence on which to base future policy direction. Social implications – The findings provide a case for investing in school leadership development given the impact courses may have on student outcomes. Originality/value – The paper provides a comprehensive overview of the current provision on school leadership preparation and development in Kenya. It contributes to its understanding in Africa in terms of quality, performance impact and return on investment.

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How school leadership development evolves: crossing timescales and settings

Journal of Workplace Learning ◽

10.1108/jwl-06-2015-0048 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 28 (6) ◽

pp. 338-354 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Ruth Jensen ◽

Kirsten Foshaug Vennebo

Keyword(s):

Leadership Development ◽

School Improvement ◽

School Leadership ◽

Multiple Time ◽

Improvement Project ◽

Content Type ◽

Qualitative Research Design ◽

School Leadership Development ◽

Video And Audio ◽

Cultural Historical Activity

Purpose This paper aims to address workplace learning in terms of investigating school leadership development in an inter-professional team (the team) in which principals, administrators and researchers work together on a local school improvement project. The purpose is to provide an enriched understanding of how school leadership development evolves in a team during two years as the team works on different problem-spaces and the implications for leadership in schools. Design/methodology/approach The paper is based on a larger study with a qualitative research design with longitudinal, interventional, interactional and multiple-time level approaches. Empirically, the paper draws on tools, video and audio data from the teams’ work. By using cultural–historical activity theory (CHAT), school leadership development is examined as an object-oriented and tool-mediated activity. CHAT allows analyses of activities across timescales and workplaces. It examines leadership development by tracing objects in tool-mediated work and the ways in which they evolved. The object refers to what motivates and directs activity. Findings The findings suggest that the objects evolved both within and across episodes and the two-year trajectory of the team. Longitudinal trajectories of tools, schools and universities seem to intersect with episodes of leadership development. Some episodes seem to be conducive for changes in the principals’ schools during the collaboration. Research limitations/implications There is a need for a broader study that includes more cases in other contexts, thus expanding the existing knowledge. Originality/value By switching lenses of zooming, it has been possible to examine leadership development in a way that is not possible through surveys and interviews.

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