Chinese Educational Leaders' Conceptions of Learning and Leadership

This book presents an interpretative study of anAustralian leadership development program conductedin China. The study explored the conceptions oflearning and leadership brought by a group ofChinese educational leaders to the course andinvestigated the perceived influence of the courseupon their conceptions. It was a pre- and post-comparison case study inspired by thephenomenographic approach, that employed semi-structured and in-depth interviews of twentyparticipants over a 12-month period. This studyemployed a culturally sensitive approach whichrecognises that a complex interaction betweenChinese and Western cultures is occurring in theparticipants. Comparison of their conceptions priorto and after the course indicated an expanded rangeof, and more complex conceptions. This study makes acontribution to understanding Chinese educationalleaders' conceptions of learning and leadership inan international education context. Educationalists,educational leadership researchers and policy makerswho read this will have a better understanding ofChinese educators' responses to the newdemands of internationalisation.

Autorentext

Course Convenor of Master of Educational Leadership (Hangzhou) and Co-ordinator of Offshore Education Programs at the University of Canberra, Australia. She has a PhD in Education. Her research interests include educational leadership, international education, leadership development and intercultural studies.

Klappentext
This book presents an interpretative study of an Australian leadership development program conducted in China. The study explored the conceptions of learning and leadership brought by a group of Chinese educational leaders to the course and investigated the perceived influence of the course upon their conceptions. It was a pre- and post- comparison case study inspired by the phenomenographic approach, that employed semi- structured and in-depth interviews of twenty participants over a 12-month period. This study employed a culturally sensitive approach which recognises that a complex interaction between Chinese and Western cultures is occurring in the participants. Comparison of their conceptions prior to and after the course indicated an expanded range of, and more complex conceptions. This study makes a contribution to understanding Chinese educational leaders' conceptions of learning and leadership in an international education context. Educationalists, educational leadership researchers and policy makers who read this will have a better understanding of Chinese educators' responses to the new demands of internationalisation.