Trajectory of professional agency of leader in higher education : multi-case study in China /

Open in iSearch

Student Theses

2025

Mo, Ni

Hong Kong : The Education University of Hong Kong

Thesis

With the massive economic development in Mainland China, these changes should accompany higher education levels; many higher standards for university presidents are required from different perspectives. The university’s development is closely related to its presidents. Based on these circumstances, it is necessary to research university presidents and understand their deeper motivation to achieve their goals. This thesis investigates the developmental trajectory of professional agency among presidents in higher education, focusing on university presidents in Mainland China. While the concept of professional agency has been widely explored in education, there is limited focus on how the professional agency develops and how those presidents enact their agency to achieve university development in Mainland China. Universities take the responsibility to foster talents to support the development of higher education, and the direction of the university has been widely discussed from many perspectives.To address this gap, this study interviewed three presidents to examine how universities navigate their roles and what kind of system constraints and personal challenges they face during their careers. This research conducts a qualitative multiple-case study approach, guided by three research questions: (1) What is the developmental trajectory of the professional agency of the leader in higher education in China? (2) What factors affect the developmental trajectory of the professional agency of the leader? (3) What are the challenges and constraints during the developmental trajectory of the professional agency of the leader? Data was collected through semi-structured interviews, university notes, and observational records. Leaders from different universities and locations will have various regional contexts and leadership backgrounds. The study offers three key contributions. First, professional agency in university leadership is closely related to psychological dimensions such as self-efficacy, ethical reasoning, and role cognitions. Next, the agency is not an isolated idea and will connect with the university and sociopolitical structures. Third, the economic level, university categories, and location will significantly affect leaders' thoughts and actions, requiring them to have an adaptive mindset and flexible styles. Finally, this study contributes to the expanding context of the educational field and examines the professional agency of leaders; it also extends the observation time or becomes an observation program to collect more valuable data for future studies. The empirical finding provides a comprehensive perspective of the current study. Ultimately, with the development of AI, the thesis also has a short discussion of how the intention of professional agency happens and combines the knowledge of the human brain. It also mentioned the identity and structuration systems theories to explain how professional agency is enabled and constrained by those forces and policy environments. Presidents maintain their responsibility as educators and require a high level of professional agency and consciousness, which allows them to face ethical and purposeful challenges. The outcome of the thesis is to help presidents achieve autonomy in shaping the higher education field and to achieve sustainable development

LG51.H43 Dr 2025eb Mon

https://educoll.lib.eduhk.hk/records/k4guBqZo