Perceptual differences between principals and teachers on principal instructional leadership in China : the impact of cultural and organizational factors /

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Student Theses

2017

Guo, Wei

Hong Kong : The Education University of Hong Kong

Thesis

In recent literature on instructional leadership, researchers have become increasingly aware of the importance of perceptual differences between principals' self-rating and teachers' evaluations of the principal instructional leadership performance. This phenomenon draws attention because perceptual differences between principals and teachers on instructional leadership have important implications for leadership effectiveness, leadership development, and school improvement. In order to understand the patterns of perceptions from different sources, and how this can be influenced by cultural conditions and organizational hierarchy, this study examines the perceptual gap regarding principal instructional leadership between principals and teachers, and tests three hypothetical relationships between the two parties by examining Chinese samples. Data were collected using the widely accepted measurement of instructional leadership, Principal Instructional Management Rating Scale (PIMRS) with modifications. In the first phase of this study, a standard procedure was adopted to translate the questionnaire into Chinese, and pilot interviews (15 principals) and survey tests (245 participants) were performed to finalize the instruments. In the second phase, 132 principals, and 730 middle leaders, and 978 teachers returned valid Chinese PIMRS and Mid-leaders Instructional Management Rating Scale (MIMRS) surveys, representing 76 primary and 56 secondary schools. The modified instruments underwent a validation process again, which is empirically proved to be reliable and valid by the data collected in this study, and satisfies the requirements for further data analysis. Results of data analysis revealed that principals' self-rating of principal instructional leadership practices was higher than teachers' evaluation on only one dimension, and no significant difference was found on the overall level of PIMRS between the two parties. However, the cultural factor, Power Distance (PD) did moderate some perceptual differences. Specifically, when principals reported low PD, principals' self-rating of instructional leadership was higher than that reported by teachers, whereas when principals reported high PD, their self-rating was lower than that of teachers. Moreover, from an organizational hierarchical and structural perspective, middle instructional leaders were found to be positively related to the perceptual gap between the two parties, namely, the more middle instructional leaders perform instructional leadership, the larger the perceptual gap of instructional leadership between principal and teachers. In general, the findings identified patterns and characteristics of principal instructional leadership practice in Chinese schools, and evidenced that both PD and middle leaders influence principal-teachers' perceptual differences of principals' practice of instructional leadership. The results imply that it is necessary to consider these contextual factors when assessing and interpreting principal instructional leadership performance. The research findings have significant implication for leadership development and school improvement

LG51.H46 Dr 2017eb Guow

https://educoll.lib.eduhk.hk/records/pjmjen0n