This study investigated how the Performance Indicators (PIs), a quantifiable check of school effectiveness and accountable issued by the government, was used by Chinese preschools to do self-evaluation and improvement in Hong Kong. Sixty-four representative pre-primary institutions of 15 035 children and 1 600 practitioners, and 9 project members worked collaboratively through the self-evaluation and improvement cycle within 18 months. Post-project surveys, group interviews, documentation analysis, and multiple case studies were conducted to gauge the participants’ views on the progress and problems regarding school improvement. The results indicated that: (1) the revised 7-step Chinese model of self-evaluation and improvement was workable for Hong Kong pre-primary institutions; (2) the institutions did benefit from the project and got better understanding of the PIs, reflections on children’s learning and teacher’s teaching, professional development, heightening of organizational morale and team spirit; (3) the common difficulties encountered in the processes were time limitation, lack of resources, and under-qualified teachers; and (4) the successful experiences might include strong leadership, team work with deep collaboration, school-based training, peer observation, useful instruments, and support from external advisor. The sociocontextual factors and the educational implications of these findings are discussed.
[Copyright © College of Education and Human Development, University of North Dakota. The publisher website is located at http://www.und.edu/dept/ehd]