An exploration of two female principals' leadership in mainland China
| Date | 23 March 2010 |
| Pages | 241-260 |
| Published date | 23 March 2010 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/09578231011027879 |
| Author | Wanjuan Zhong,Lisa Catherine Ehrich |
| Subject Matter | Education |
An exploration of two female
principals’ leadership in mainland
China
Wanjuan Zhong
Centre for Learning Innovation, Faculty of Education,
Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia
Lisa Catherine Ehrich
School of Learning & Professional Studies,
Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore two dimensions of leadership practices (i.e.
teaching and learning and sources of power) used by two exemplary principals in mainland China
against a background of education reform and to identify how broader contextual factors have shaped
these two dimensions of their leadership.
Design/methodology/approach – An exploratory case study was used that drew upon
semi-structured interviews, observations and document analysis. Interviews were conducted with
two principals, six teachers from each of the two schools and a superintendent who was the supervisor
of the two principals.
Findings – The findings reveal that there are some common elements in both of the leaders’ practices
but also some subtle differences. Both leaders emphasise teaching and learning. One sees herself as
curriculum expert; the other delegate teaching responsibilities. While both uses a top down approach,
one principal uses an adversarial approach and the other a more facilitative approach.
Research limitations/implications – The study used a small sample size. It explored the leaders’
practices in the light of broader contextual factors rather than personal factors or gender-based factors
Originality/value – Given the limited empirical research conducted on female principals in
mainland China, this qualitative study provides insights into two dimensions of leadership used by
two exemplary principals and explains their practices in the light of critical contextual factors such as
contemporary and traditional Chinese culture and the school’s organisational context.
Keywords Principals, Women,Management power, Teaching, Leadership,China
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
The importance of principal leadership for school improvement is evident in the
growing body of literature, policy reports, and research which has investigated and
continues to investigate school leadership and school effectiveness (Day and
Leithwood, 2007). The focus of this paper lies with school principals in mainland China.
While principals in mainland China have been identified as key players in their schools
within policies and broader literature (Central Committee of the Chinese Communist
Party, 1985; Huang, 2005), there has been limited understanding about how school
principals lead their schools. Indeed, only a very small number of empi rical studies
have examined the nature and leadership practices of the principalship and even fewer
studies have focused on female principals as a specific category of research (Zen, 2004;
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at
www.emeraldinsight.com/0957-8234.htm
Female
principals’
leadership
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Journal of Educational
Administration
Vol. 48 No. 2, 2010
pp. 241-260
qEmerald Group Publishing Limited
0957-8234
DOI 10.1108/09578231011027879
Zhong, 2004). This exploratory paper, then, aims to make a contribution to the field by
examining the leadership practices of two exemplary female principals working in
urban primary schools in mainland China. It responds to a call made by a number of
writers (see Germany, 2005; Turner, 2004) for the need to research female leaders from
different racial, cultural and class backgrounds as well as women from developing
countries (Oplatka, 2006) to determine if their experiences are qualitatively different
from other female leaders.
As it is beyond the scope of this paper to explore the multi-dimensional aspects of
principal leadership, only two dimensions are considered in this paper. These are the
two principals’ leadership of teaching and learning in the school; and secondly, the way
they use their power to influence others and achieve their goals. These dimensions
were chosen because leadership of teaching has been identified in policy documents
and research in mainland China (Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party,
1985) and elsewhere (Southworth, 2005; Day and Leithwood, 2007) as a core function of
the principalship; and power is explored because it has been viewed as a key force in
understanding how leadership is enacted (Zand, 1997). In keeping with ideas by Gronn
(1999) and Dimmock and Walker (2005), this paper acknowledges that a key shaper of
educational leadership is the broader cultural and societal contexts in which it emerges.
Given the changing cultural and societal context of mainland China since the reform
and opening up policy in 1978, the authors contend it is significant to understand these
two dimensions of leadership. This paper begins with a brief review of the literature on
education in mainland China, its education reforms since the 1980s and related
international literature on effective school leadership, learning and teaching, and
power in the principalship. It then moves on to discuss the findings and discussion of
the study reported in the paper.
Education in mainland China
China has a long standing tradition of valuing education. This can be traced back to
Confucius (441-479BCE), an important scholar and teacher who drew together many
features of traditional Chinese beliefs known as the “Confucian Analects” (Sp ence,
1990, p. 59). There are three prominent ingredients that constitute Confucianism. The
first is considered to be virtue building of individuals and establishing a morally
binding state. The second is the notion of social relations that define the roles and
mutual obligations between individuals, between individuals and the state, between
man and woman, and between the old and the young. The third relates to education. In
Chinese history, it was Confucius who first recruited and then educated students
regardless of their social status or class position. However, for Confuciu s, education did
not merely mean knowledge or learning; rather it focused on the cultivation of
individuals. Furthermore, education was seen to have a political purpose. According to
Confucius, people should work and learn diligently in order to cultivate their virtues
and to serve the state as officials. Education under Confucianism was an important
means of reinforcing moral social relations and selecting excellent scholars to serve the
state, thus leading to the stability of a morally binding united society. Due to the
prevalence of Confucianism in Chinese society, education was and continues to be
valued highly in China.
JEA
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