A Comparative Review of Culturally Nuanced School Leadership in the Maldives and China
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55712/wv3rza32Keywords:
transformative education, school effectiveness, cultural context, school leadershipAbstract
The manner in which teachers respond to children’s learning needs to ensure quality and equitable learning is directly linked to the organisation of the school. School leaders are not merely managers; they are responsible for transforming education to meet the evolving needs of individual communities while considering the role of schools in transmitting culture and community values to future generations. This literature review explores how school leadership is shaped and influenced by socio-cultural, economic, and geographical factors within two distinct Asian cultural contexts: the Maldives and China. By examining the existing gap in understanding and identifying culturally responsive and contextually relevant strategies for principal development, this review provides a culturally nuanced perspective of school leadership that can contribute to advancing the field of school leadership in Asia. The review outlines key themes in existing research on cultural context, roles and responsibilities, leadership styles, curriculum implementation, and cultural nuances in school leadership in the two contexts studied.
References
[1] Abdul-Raheem, M. S. (2023). Best Practices of Instructional Leadership among Principals of Primary and Secondary Schools in Male, Maldives. International Journal of Scientific Research and Management (IJSRM), 11(10), 2938–2951. https://doi.org/10.18535/ijsrm/v11i10.el04
[2] Ahmed, A. R. (2016). Instructional leadership practices of selected principals in Maldives: a case study (Doctoral Thesis). Asia e University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. http://saruna.mnu.edu.mv/jspui/handle/123456789/1941
[3] Ahmed, A. R., Chowdhury, R., & Salik, S. A. (2021). Best practices and challenges in school-based professional development in the schools of Maldives and Bangladesh. http://saruna.mnu.edu.mv/jspui/handle/123456789/13124
[4] Azlifa, M., & Saeed, F. (2021). The challenges to digitalization of schools in the Maldives. International Journal of Social Research & Innovation, 5(2), 57-76.
[5] Bass, B. M., & Riggio, R. E. (2006). Transformational Leadership (2nd ed.). Psychology Press.
[6] Chen, D., Ning, B., & Bos, W. (2022). Relationship between Principal Leadership Style and Student Achievement: A Comparative Study between Germany and China. Sage Open, 12(2).
[7] Cunningham, C., Zhang, W., Streipe, M., & Rhodes, D. (2022). Dual leadership in Chinese schools challenge executive principalships as best fit for 21st century educational development. International Journal of Educational Development, 89(March).
[8] Daniëls, E., Hondeghem, A., & Dochy, F. (2019). A review on leadership and leadership development in educational settings. Educational Research Review, 27, 110–125.
[9] Deng, C. (2019). Transformational principals’ motivation and intellectual inspiration for teachers - A case study of G school [in Chinese]. Zhejiang Education Science, (3), 7–12.
[10] Fang, Z., & Yu, S.-C. (2023). Cross-Level Influence of Group-Focused Transformational Leadership on Organizational Citizenship Behavior among Chinese Secondary School Teachers. Behavioral Sciences, 13(10), 848.
[11] Feng, D. (2020). China’ school leadership: an overview. Understanding China’s School Leadership: Interpreting the Terminology, 1-40.
[12] Fikuree, W. (2020). Leadership task effectiveness and student achievement: Perceptions of principals, deputy principals and lead teachers (Doctoral dissertation, ResearchSpace@ Auckland).
[13] Gay, G. (2018). Culturally responsive teaching: Theory, research, and practice. New York: Teachers College Press.
[14] Hairon, S., & Goh, J. W. (2015). Pursuing the elusive construct of distributed leadership: Is the search over? Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 43(5), 693-718.
[15] Hashim, M. H., Hassan, F. M., & Ibrahim, A. (2020). Empowerment Role of School Principals in the Republic of Maldives. International Journal of Innovation, Creativity and Change, 14(9). https://www.ijicc.net/images/Vol_14/Iss_9/14928_Hashim_2020_E1_R.pdf
[16] Ismail, M., Khatibi, A. A., & Azam, S. F. (2020). The mediating effect of school culture in the relationship between deputy principal’s instructional leadership and school effectiveness in government schools in the Maldives. MOJEM: Malaysian Online Journal of Educational Management, 9(1), 21-37.
[17] Ismail, M., Khatibi, A., & Azam, S. M. F. (2022). Impact of School Culture on School Effectiveness in Government Schools in Maldives. Participatory Educational Research, 9(2), 261–279.
[18] Lai, M., Wang, L., & Shen, W. (2017). Educational leadership on the Chinese mainland: A case study of two secondary schools in Beijing. London Review of Education, 15(2). https://doi.org/10.18546/LRE.15.2.13
[19] Li, C., & Shi, K. (2008). The structure and measurement of transformational leadership in China. Frontiers of Business Research in China, 2(4), 571–590.
[20] Ling, Z., Na, J., Yan-Li, S., & Sriyanto, J. (2020). School culture and professional development of school teachers from urban and rural areas in China. Cakrawala pendidikan, 39(3), 609-619.
[21] Liu, P. (2015). Motivating teachers’ commitment to change through transformational school leadership in Chinese urban upper secondary schools. Journal of Educational Administration, 53(6), 735–754.
[22] Liu, P. (2020). Motivating teachers’ commitment to change through distributed leadership in Chinese urban primary schools. International Journal of Educational Management, 34(7), 1171-1183.
[23] Liu, S., Hallinger, P., & Feng, D. (2016). Supporting the professional learning of teachers in China: Does principal leadership make a difference? Teaching and Teacher Education, 59, 79-91.
[24] Liu, Y. (2020). The basic theory and methodology of rural revitalization planning in China. Acta Geographica Sinca, 75, 1120-1133.
[25] Liu, Y., Li, L., & Huang, C. (2022). To what extent is shared instructional leadership related to teacher self-efficacy and student academic performance in China? School Effectiveness and School Improvement, 33(3), 381-402.
[26] Mullick, J., Wang, Q., & Yousefi, M. (2023). Outlining the distributed leadership practice structure of Chinese schools in Wenzhou: a social network analysis. School Leadership & Management, 43(5), 473–496.
[27] Nasir, M., Kumar, N., & Bhaumik, S. A. (2022). Maldivian Perspectives: Principals’ Leadership, Teachers’ Self-efficacy and Obligations to Students. International Journal of Advanced Research in Education and Society, 4(2), 7-15.
[28] Nasir, M., & Mydin, A. A. (2023). The Mediating Role of Teacher Collaboration in The Relationship Between PLCs And Teaching Effectiveness in The Maldives. Journal of Islamic Social Economics, 8(59), 265-288.
[29] Ngang, T. K. (2011). The effect of transformational leadership on school culture in Male’ primary schools Maldives. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 30, 2575-2580.
[30] Paris, D., & Alim, H.S. (2017). Culturally sustaining pedagogies: Teaching and learning for justice in a changing world. New York, NY: Teacher’s College Press.
[31] Pinchot, M., & Fullan, M. (2021). Testing Sustainability: How Strong School Cultures Meet (And Beat) Disaster. https://michaelfullan.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/21_Pinchot-Fullan-Testing_Sustainability_How_Strong_School_Cultures_Meet_And_Beat_Disaster.pdf.
[32] Qian, H., & Walker, A. (2021). Building Emotional Principal–Teacher Relationships in Chinese Schools: Reflecting on Paternalistic Leadership. The Asia-Pacific Education Researcher, 30(4), 327–338.
[33] Qian, H., Walker, A., & Li, X. (2017). The west wind vs the east wind: instructional leadership model in China. Journal of Educational Administration, 55(2), 186–206.
[34] Raman, A., Thannimalai, R., & Ismail, S. N. (2019). Principals’ Technology Leadership and Its Effect on Teachers’ Technology Integration in 21st Century Classrooms. International Journal of Instruction, 12(4), 423-442.
[35] Rizwan, S. (2019). Professional Development Coordinators’ Handbook (Vol. 1). National Institute of Education, Ministry of Education.
[36] Robinson, V. (2011). Student-centered leadership (Vol. 15). John Wiley & Sons.
[37] Sodiq, A., & Di Biase, R. (2022). We cannot do away with exams: Parents believe in them, so does the wider community. Reimagining the examination system in the Maldives. Prospects, 51(4), 701-719.
[38] Shafeeu, I. (2019). Relationship Between Principals’ Instructional Leadership and School Effectiveness. Does It Make a Difference? Evidence from the Maldives. Doctoral thesis, Durham University. http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/13134/1/Thesis_Ismail_Shafeeu_Principals_Instructional_Leadership_and_School_Effectiveness.pdf?DDD29+
[39] Shareef, A. F., & Shougee, M. (2020). Developmental pathway of higher education in the Maldives: Towards massification and quality assurance. Handbook of Education Systems in South Asia, 1-18.
[40] Shan, Y. (2022). A Literature Review of the Feasibility of Enacting Curriculum Leadership in Chinese Schools. Open Journal of Social Sciences, 10(12), 270–280.
[41] Szeto, E., Cheng, A. Y. N., & Sin, K. K. F. (2019). Challenges of difference and difficulty: how do principals enact different leadership for diverse student population in a changing Chinese school context? International Journal of Leadership in Education, 22(5), 519–535.
[42] Tam, K. (2015). Understanding Intergenerational Cultural Transmission Through the Role of Perceived Norms. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology. 46. 10.1177/0022022115600074. Walker, A., & Qian, H. (2022). Developing a model of instructional leadership in China. Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, 52(1), 147–167.
[43] Tang, J., Bryant, D. A., & Walker, A. D. (2023). In search of the middle influence: how middle leaders support teachers’ professional learning. Educational Research, 65(4), 444-461.
[44] Waheeda, A. (2022). Relationship between the Existing and Ideal Academic Leadership Styles in Maldivian Higher Education Institutes. International Journal of Social Research & Innovation, 6(2), 65-86.
[45] Wang, T., & Tian, G. (2023). Linking Distributed Leadership with Differentiated Instruction in Inclusive Schools: The Mediating Roles of Teacher Leadership and Professional Competence. Behavioral Sciences, 13(12), 990.
[46] Wei, W. (2017). Education Policy Borrowing: Professional Standards for School Leaders in China. Chinese Education & Society, 50(3), 181–202.
[47] Wilson, D. C. (2023). Defining Leadership. Philosophy of Management, 22(1), 99–128.
[48] Zhao, D., & Wang, L. (2020). School governance structure and its impact on student performance: A comparative study between four provinces of China and the PISA2015 high-scored countries/economies. Best Evidence in Chinese Education, 6(2), 825-843.
[49] Zhang, S., Long, R., & Bowers, A. J. (2022). Supporting teacher knowledge sharing in China: The effect of principal authentic leadership, teacher psychological empowerment and interactional justice. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 17411432221120330.
[50] Zheng, X., Yin, H., & Li, Z. (2019). Exploring the relationships among instructional leadership, professional learning communities, and teacher self-efficacy in China. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 47(6), 843-859.
[51] Zheng, X., Yin, H., Liu, Y., & Ke, Z. (2016). Effects of leadership practices on professional learning communities: the mediating role of trust in colleagues. Asia Pacific Education Review, 17(3), 521–532.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 International Journal of Social Research & Innovation
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
