Leading today's kindergartens: Practices of strategic leadership in Hong Kong's early childhood education

Leading today's kindergartens: Practices of strategic leadership in Hong Kong's early childhood education

• Chan, Chi Wai

Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 2017

SAGE Publications Ltd

2017

• Q Philosophy of Education, Educational System & School At Different Levels
  • QB Pre-school Education, Child Caring Facilities, Maternal & Infantile Health Facilities
• R Educational Policy & Administration
  • RH Supervisors, School Principals & Administrators

Kindergarten Early Childhood Education Principal Leadership Strategic Leadership

• Hong Kong

• 1997.7 onwards

• Pre-Primary Education

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.
[Copyright of Educational Management Administration & Leadership is the property of SAGE Publications Ltd.]

• English

Journal Articles

• 17411432

• 10.1177/1741143217694892

https://bibliography.lib.eduhk.hk/bibs/e05bfbea

2018-05-10