The purpose of this systematic review is to further our understanding of women and educational leadership knowledge production from three Chinese societies and to contribute to the development of a more diverse global knowledge base in gender and educational leadership and management. A total of 341 articles were identified from 4 electronic databases. We conducted a systematic review of 24 eligible articles that focused on women and educational leadership in Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, utilised empirical research designs and were published in peer-reviewed English-language journals between 2000 and 2021. This review synthesised six overarching themes, including the underrepresentation of women leaders in schools and universities; barriers for women's career advancement; impact of social-cultural contexts on gender-related leadership; gender stereotypes and gender dynamics; gender-based variation in leadership behaviours; and gender equity legislation and policies. The review reveals that underrepresentation of female leaders is a pervasive problem in both schools and universities across three Chinese societies. Substantial gaps still exist between policies and practices. The study highlights systemic barriers and lack of organisational enablers for women's career advancement. The implications and directions for future studies are discussed. Copyright ©2024 SAGE Publications.

This study explored the characteristics of professional learning communities (PLCs) in Hong Kong primary schools. It investigated the profiles of the strengths of professional learning community in schools under study and particularly examined the practices in schools which were identified as strong PLCs. It extends research on PLCs in the Hong Kong context and formulates a quantitative perspective to compare and validate PLC variables across schools in Hong Kong. The Professional Learning Community Questionnaire (PLCQ) for Hong Kong schools was developed to assess the PLC practices in six different areas: leadership for teacher learning, collaborative learning capacity, student-focused orientation, a culture of sharing, mutual understanding and support, and continuous professional development. A composite construct, the Professional Learning Community Index (PLCI) expressed in quantitative terms was utilized to assess the strength of PLC in a school. The research findings show that within the schools which were identified as strong professional learning communities, both the school leaders and teachers had strong emphases on the six subscales of the PLC practices.
[Copyright of Asia Pacific Journal of Education is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02188791.2016.1148852]