![[PDF]](/pb-assets/Icons/adobe-pdf-icon-1498649896243.png){kind=icon}
Abstract
Studies on school leadership in Hong Kong have mainly focused on primary and secondary schools, with only a handful of studies looking at leadership in early childhood education. This paper aims to report the findings of a study on strategic leadership in Hong Kong’s kindergartens. It discusses the challenges that Hong Kong kindergarten leaders are facing and the need for practising strategic leadership. It then reports the findings of practices valued by the leaders of Hong Kong kindergartens. The findings of this study reveal, that apart from the abilities to exercise sound planning and management in school, leaders’ reflective, flexible and systems thinking and their willingness in continuous professional and network development are crucial to leading today’s kindergartens. This study also indicates that leaders’ contextual intelligence is important for exercising strategic leadership. The significance of this study lies in its contribution to the investigation of leadership practices in early childhood education, the need to further explore how well kindergarten leaders are practising strategic leadership and the implications for the development of principal preparation programmes.
References
Section:
|
Anderson, GL, Pini, M (2011) Educational leadership and the new economy. In: English, FW (ed) The SAGE Handbook of Educational Leadership. Thousand Oaks, California: SAGE Publications, pp.176–194. Google Scholar | Crossref | |
|
Aydin, MK, Guclu, N, Pisapia, J (2014) The relationship between school principals’ strategic leadership actions and organizational learning: A quantitative study in Turkish primary schools. In: American Institute of Higher Education, Arlington VA, 31 October 2014. Google Scholar | |
|
Blau, PM (1964) Exchange and Power in Social Life. New Brunswick: Transaction Publishers. Google Scholar | |
|
Bottery, M (2001) Globalization and the UK competition state: No room for transformational leadership in education? School Leadership & Management 21(2): 199–218. Google Scholar | Crossref | |
|
Burns, JM (1979) Leadership. NY: Harper & Row. Google Scholar | |
|
Caldwell, BJ (2009) Leadership that transforms schools. Teacher 205(6–8): 10. Google Scholar | |
|
Carter, SM, Greer, CR (2013) Strategic leadership: Values, styles, and organizational performance. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies 20(4): 375–393. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI | |
|
Carter, K, Sood, K (2014) It’s complicated: Apprentice leaders on the edge of chaos. Management in Education 28(2): 64–69. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | |
|
Chan, CW (2014) The leadership styles of Hong Kong kindergarten principals in a context of managerial change. Educational Management Administration & Leadership 42(1): 30–40. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI | |
|
Cheuk, B (2007) Social networking analysis: Its application to facilitate knowledge transfer. Business Information Review 24(3): 170–176. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | |
|
Davis, G (2014) Graduate leaders in early childhood education and care settings, the practitioner perspective. Management in Education 28(4): 156–160. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | |
|
Eacott, S (2011) Leadership strategies: Re-conceptualising strategy for educational leadership. School Leadership and Management 31(1): 35–46. Google Scholar | Crossref | |
|
Education Bureau (2007) PEVS background and concept. Available at: www.edb.gov.hk/en/edu-system/preprimary-kindergarten/preprimary-voucher/background-and-concept.html (accessed 15 July 2015). Google Scholar | |
|
Education Bureau (2015) Report of the Committee on Free Kindergarten Education, May 2015: Children first: Right start for all. Available at: http://edb.gov.hk/attachment/en/edu-system/preprimary-kindergarten/kg-report/Free-kg-report-201505-Eng.pdf (accessed 30 June 2015). Google Scholar | |
|
Education Commission (1997) Education Commission Report No. 7: Quality school education. Hong Kong: Printing Department. Google Scholar | |
|
Ewington, J, Mulford, B, Kendall, D, Edmunds, B, Kendall, L, Silins, H (2008) Successful school principalship in small schools. Journal of Educational Administration 46(5): 545–561. Google Scholar | Crossref | |
|
Freeman, JP, Wilmes, DM (2009) Facilitating change through integrated strategic planning. Planning and Change 40(3&4): 224–241. Google Scholar | |
|
Gibney, J, Copeland, S, Murie, A (2009) Towards a ‘New’ strategic leadership pf place for the knowledge-based economy. Leadership 5(1):5–23. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI | |
|
Gu, Q, Johansson, O (2012) Sustaining school performance: School contexts matter. International Journal of Leadership in Education 16(3): 301–326. Google Scholar | Crossref | |
|
Hitt, MA, Ireland, RD (2002) The essence of strategic leadership: Managing human and social capital. The Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies 9(1): 3–14. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | |
|
Ho, CWD (2007) Leadership for school improvement: Exploring factors and practices in the process of curriculum change. Early Education and Development 21(2): 263–284. Google Scholar | Crossref | |
|
Ho, CWD (2009) Human resource management in Hong Kong preschools: The impacts of falling rolls on staffing. International Journal of Educational Management 23(3): 217–226. Google Scholar | |
|
Hofstede, G, Bond, MH (1988) The Confucius connection: From cultural roots to economic growth. Organizational Dynamics 16(4): 5–21. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
|
Hosking, DM (1988) Organizing, leadership and skillful process. Journal of Management Studies 25: 147–166. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
|
Ireland, RD, Hitt, MA (1999) Achieving and maintaining strategic competitiveness in the 21st century: The role of strategic leadership. Academy of Management Executive 13(1): 43–57. Google Scholar | |
|
Iszatt-White, M (2010) Strategic leadership: The accomplishment of strategy as a ‘Perennially unfinished project’. Leadership 6(4): 409–424. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI | |
|
Kochan, FK, Locke, DL (2009) Student assessment in educational leadership preparation programs. In: Young, MD, Crow, GM, Murphy, J, Ogawa, RT (eds) Handbook of Research on the Education of School Leaders. New York: Routledge, pp.417–456. Google Scholar | |
|
Kwan, P, Walker, A (2009) Vice-principalship in Hong Kong: Aspirations, competencies, and satisfaction. School Effectiveness and School Improvement 19(1): 73–97. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
|
Leeson, C, Campbell-Barr, V, Ho, D (2012) Leading for quality improvement: A comparative research agenda in early childhood education in England and Hong Kong. International Journal of Leadership in Education 15(2): 221–236. Google Scholar | Crossref | |
|
Luff, P, Webster, R (2014) Democratic and participatory approached: Exemplars from early childhood education. Management in Education 28(4):138–143. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | |
|
Lumby, J, Walker, A, Bryant, M, Bush, T, Björk, L (2009) Research on leadership preparation in a global context. In: Young, MD, Crow, GM, Murphy, J, Ogawa, RT (eds) Handbook of Research on the Education of School Leaders. New York: Routledge, pp.157–194. Google Scholar | |
|
Maak, T (2007) Responsible leadership, stakeholder engagement, and the emergence of social capital. Journal of Business Ethics 74(4): 329–343. Google Scholar | Crossref | |
|
McCarthy, MM, Forsyth, P (2009) A historical review of research and development activities pertaining to the preparation of school leaders. In: Young, MD, Crow, GM, Murphy, J, Ogawa, RT (eds) Handbook of Research on the Education of School Leaders. New York: Routledge, pp.85–128. Google Scholar | |
|
McGroarty, D (2001) The little-known case of America’s largest school choice program. In: Finn, CE, Rotheram, AJ, Hokanson, CR (eds) Rethinking Special Education for a New Century. Washington, DC: Thomas B. Fordham Foundation and the Progressive Policy Institute, pp.289–308. Google Scholar | |
|
Mok, JKH, Currie, J (2002) Reflections on the impact of globalization on educational restructuring in Hong Kong. In: Mok, JKH, Chan, DKK (eds) Globalization and Education: The Quest for Quality Education in Hong Kong. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press, pp.259–278. Google Scholar | |
|
Ng, SW (2013) Equipping Aspiring Principals for the Principalship in Hong Kong. Educational Management Administration & Leadership 41(3): 272–288. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI | |
|
Nye, JS (2014) Transformational and transactional presidents. Leadership 10(1): 118–124. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI | |
|
Orr, MT, Barber, ME (2009) Program evaluation in leadership preparation and related fields. In: Young, MD, Crow, GM, Murphy, J, Ogawa, RT (eds) Handbook of Research on the Education of School Leaders. New York: Routledge, pp.457–498. Google Scholar | |
|
Osborn, RN, Marion, R (2009) Contextual leadership, transformational leadership and the performance of international innovation seeking alliances. The Leadership Quarterly 20: 191–206. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
|
Pang, NSK, Pisapia, J (2012) The strategic thinking skills of Hong Kong school leaders: Usage and effectiveness. Educational Management Administration & Leadership 40(3): 343–361. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI | |
|
Papastephanou, M, Christou, M, Gregoriou, Z (2013) Globalization, the challenge of educational synchronisation and teacher education. Globalization, Societies and Education 11(1): 61–84. Google Scholar | Crossref | |
|
Pisapia, J (2006) Mastering Change in a Globalized World: New Direction for Leadership (Education Policy Studies Series No. 61). Hong Kong: The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Google Scholar | |
|
Pisapia, J, Reyes-Guerra, D, Coukos-Semmel, E (2005) Developing the leader’s strategic mindset: Establishing the measures. Leadership Review 5: 41–68. Google Scholar | |
|
Pisapia, J, Pang, SK, Hee, TF, Lin, Y, Morris, JD (2009) A comparison of the use of strategic thinking skills of aspiring school leaders in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Shanghai, and the United States: An exploratory study. International Education Studies 2(2): 46–58. Google Scholar | Crossref | |
|
Russette, JW, Scully, RE, Preziosi, R (2008) Leadership across cultures: A comparative study. Academy of Strategic Management Journal 7: 47–61. Google Scholar | |
|
Senge, P, Cambron-McCabe, N, Lucas, T, Smith, B, Dutton, J, Kleiner, A (2000) Schools that Learn. New York: Doubleday. Google Scholar | |
|
Singtao Daily (2015a) Lots of anxiety for Hong Kong students. Singtao Daily, 27 March, 15. Google Scholar | |
|
Singtao Daily (2015b) Alliances urge for a full-day early childhood education. Singtao Daily, 5 July, 15. Google Scholar | |
|
Skypost (2014) 7 Assignments for K3 Children on Weekend, 24 October, 14. Google Scholar | |
|
Southworth, G (2002) Lessons from successful leadership in small schools. In: Leithwood, K, Hallinger, P (eds) Second International Handbook of Educational Leadership and Administration Vol. 1. London: Kluwer Academic, pp.451–485 Google Scholar | Crossref | |
|
Tse, KCT (2005) Quality education in Hong Kong: the anomalies of managerialism and marketization. In: Ho, LS, Morris, P, Chung, YP (eds) Education Reform and the Quest for Excellence: The Hong Kong Story. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press, pp.99–105. Google Scholar | |
|
Walker, A (2004) Constitution and culture: exploring the deep leadership structures of Hong Kong schools. Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education 25(1): 75–94. Google Scholar | Crossref | |
|
Walker, A, Ko, J (2011) Principal leadership in an era of accountability: A perspective from the Hong Kong context. School Leadership and Management 31(4): 369–392. Google Scholar | Crossref | |
|
Wong, PM (2011) The village school context and principalship in Hong Kong: What do they contribute to leadership studies? School Leadership & Management 31(5): 517–543. Google Scholar | Crossref | |
|
Yau, E (2013) Early childhood education: By the same token. South China Morning Post. Available at: http://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1252627/same-token (accessed 4 June 2013). Google Scholar | |
|
Yemini, M, Addi-Raccah, A, Katarivas, K (2015) I have a dream: School principals as entrepreneurs. Educational Management Administration & Leadership 43(4): 526–540. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI |
