Haiyan Qian

Principal leadership in China: an initial review

This article reviews the literature on Chinese principalship written in English and Chinese between 1998 and 2008. The first sections discuss the rationale for the research, the review process, and the state of education research in mainland China. The review findings are presented as a set of core patterns and contributory subpatterns, which flow from either the empirical or non-empirical literature. Two core patterns are identified from the non-empirical pieces – prescriptions and commentaries. Prescriptions focus on telling principals what they need to do to be successful, especially in the present reform environment. Commentaries focus on the key concerns and problems confronting principals. Three core patterns can be discerned from the empirical pieces – imported frameworks, indigenous investigations, and contextual influences. The final section offers a number of conclusions that look within and across the core patterns and pose questions to guide further research.

Review of Research on School Principal Leadership in Mainland China, 1998-2013: Continuity and Change.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to review English-language publications about school principalship in China published between 1998 and 2013 and to present an overview of the authorship, topics, methodologies and key findings of these publications. Design/methodology/approach – The methodology includes an exhaustive review of journal articles and book chapters about Chinese school principalship published in the English language. In total, 39 articles and 17 book chapters are identified for the 1998-2013 period. Qualitative analysis is conducted to determine the basic patterns of authorship, topics, methods and key findings. The changes or continuities in these patterns during the study period are also discerned. Findings – The paper identifies several continuous and discontinuous patterns in each of the review categories and provides a better understanding of on-going research into the practice of school principalship in China. The results also suggest areas that require deeper exploration. Original...

Reform Disconnection in China

This article examines many of the frustrations associated with implementing education reforms in mainland Chinese schools. Our basic argument is that when taken individually, many of the recent reforms are beneficial, but when parceled together and thrust hastily at schools, they are unwieldy and disconnected. We suggest that the inability of the reforms to impact schools is due in large part to their lack of sufficient connection to the reality of school life, to each other, to educative and public perceptions, and to the political and cultural context of China. We discuss and illustrate these issues under headings of instrumental, intellectual, political, cultural, and communicative disconnections.

The west wind vs the east wind: instructional leadership model in China

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop a preliminary model of instructional leadership in the Chinese educational context and explore the ways in which Chinese school principals locate their instructional-leadership practices in response to traditional expectations and the requirements of recent reforms. Design/methodology/approach In-depth interviews were conducted with 22 selected primary school principals in Shenzhen and Guangzhou. A qualitative analysis was conducted to categorize the major leadership practices enacted by these principals. Findings An initial model of instructional leadership in China with six major dimensions is constructed. The paper also illustrates and elaborates on three dimensions with the greatest context-specific meanings for Chinese principals. Originality/value The paper explores the ways in which Chinese principals enact their instructional leadership in a context in which “the west wind meets the east wind”; that is, when they are required to accommodate both imported reform initiatives and traditional expectations. The paper contributes to the sparse existing research on principals’ instructional leadership in non-western cultural and social contexts.

Leadership for Learning in China: The Political and Policy Context

This chapter aims to map the political and policy context that shapes how school leaders lead for student learning in Mainland China. Over the last decade the central government in China has moved to deemphasize the all-consuming “High Exam” focus; the Exam tends to equate student learning with excellent results on standardized examinations. Despite clearly articulated reform intentions, school principals in China find themselves in “messy” situations as they try to translate these intentions into the reality of their schools. There is tremendous pressure on principals from all directions to produce outstanding student exam performance. Based on a study conducted in Shanghai with a group of senior secondary school principals, the chapter argues that a considerable gap exists between policy intent and policy effect. Principals’ work lives are fraught with tension as they attempt to address the demands the reforms impose on what and how students should learn. The chapter concludes with some of the implications for Chinese leaders which accompany these tensions.