TY - JOUR
T1 - Shadowing as a method in principal development
T2 - a qualitative cross case study in China
AU - Shan, Xue
AU - Yulian, Zheng
AU - Ng Mooi, Ashley
AU - Jiwen, Liang
N1 - Funding Information:
The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This work was supported by the National Social Science Funding for Education Project: No. BFA210075 Chinese innovation on principals’ knowledge governance in school networks.
Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2022.
PY - 2024/5
Y1 - 2024/5
N2 - The purpose of this paper is to explore how shadowing has been applied as a method for principal development in China, in terms of its aims, the procedure and the transfer of learning. Four shadowing programmes countrywide were selected. The information on the experience of the participants, providers and mentors from high-performing site schools was obtained using semi-structured interviews. A total of 16 programme participants, 4 providers and 4 mentors from high-performing site schools were involved. This study presents a comprehensive picture of the use of shadowing as a method for principal development in China by exploring individuals who were directly involved in the shadowing programmes, and by bridging leadership learning to leadership practice stressing on transfer of learning upon completion of the programmes. The research found that learning by shadowing transferred into some positive changes in participants, at both cognitive and practical levels, when they shadow in high-performing schools. However, orientations for learning and relationships during learning were weakly established in most of the programmes, which could hardly support participants to internalise and contextualise their learning into practice for strategic or systematic changes.
AB - The purpose of this paper is to explore how shadowing has been applied as a method for principal development in China, in terms of its aims, the procedure and the transfer of learning. Four shadowing programmes countrywide were selected. The information on the experience of the participants, providers and mentors from high-performing site schools was obtained using semi-structured interviews. A total of 16 programme participants, 4 providers and 4 mentors from high-performing site schools were involved. This study presents a comprehensive picture of the use of shadowing as a method for principal development in China by exploring individuals who were directly involved in the shadowing programmes, and by bridging leadership learning to leadership practice stressing on transfer of learning upon completion of the programmes. The research found that learning by shadowing transferred into some positive changes in participants, at both cognitive and practical levels, when they shadow in high-performing schools. However, orientations for learning and relationships during learning were weakly established in most of the programmes, which could hardly support participants to internalise and contextualise their learning into practice for strategic or systematic changes.
KW - China
KW - community of practices
KW - principal development
KW - Shadowing learning
KW - transfer of learning
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85129201788&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/17411432221074885
DO - 10.1177/17411432221074885
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85129201788
SN - 1741-1432
VL - 53
SP - 629
EP - 665
JO - Educational Management Administration and Leadership
JF - Educational Management Administration and Leadership
IS - 3
ER -