Inner worlds and outer limits: the formation of beginning school principals in Hong Kong
Abstract
Purpose – This paper aims to contribute to one's understanding of how beginning principals in Hong Kong exercise leadership by exploring the concurrent influence of their inner worlds and the external contexts on their leadership within a reforming environment.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on a study of the work lives of beginning principals in Hong Kong, this paper discusses a number of findings which attest to the complexity of the role of principals in a reforming environment and how this is influenced by an amalgam of personal and other contextual factors.
Findings
These include a set of categories and sub‐categories which help to frame an understanding of the work lives of beginning principals, and a rough typology of beginning principals.
Originality/value
The paper contains original data about secondary school beginning principals in Hong Kong, illustrating how their personal characteristics interact with other contextual features to shape their leadership.
Keywords
Citation
Man‐biu Cheung, R. and Walker, A. (2006), "Inner worlds and outer limits: the formation of beginning school principals in Hong Kong", Journal of Educational Administration, Vol. 44 No. 4, pp. 389-407. https://doi.org/10.1108/09578230610676596
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2006, Emerald Group Publishing Limited