Transformation from traditional schools to alternative schools: curriculum leadership of the principals of Taiwanese aborigines

Chuan-Chung Hsieh,Huan-Kan Tseng,Robin Jung-Cheng Chen 서울대학교 교육연구소 2021 Asia Pacific Education Review Vol.22 No.1

Loosened by the laws and regulations, Taiwan’s alternative educational policy has allowed public schools to conduct school-wide curriculum transformation experiments, which is a possible opportunity for Taiwanese aborigines who have been subjected to long-term oppression and assimilation to separate from the mainstream ideological educational framework. In this change process, the school principal-led curriculum transformation has become an important way to seek a new educational model. This paper qualitatively investigates two alternative schools for Taiwanese aborigines that have undergone successful transformation and collects the views of the principals, directors, team leaders, and teachers (eight persons in total) in two schools on the school principal-led curriculum transformation. Through summarizing and analyzing relevant data, this paper proposes that the principals of Taiwanese aboriginal schools effectively change the teachers’ beliefs, curriculum structure, and school culture through the systematic practices of “belief change” and “structural innovation,” and establish a curriculum paradigm different from mainstream education, which realizes a certain knowledge transfer effect. The transformative curriculum leadership process can be summarized into the conflict awakening and positioning stage, the experimental and interactive development stage, and the revision and transformation stage. This study intents to provide a reference for Taiwan’s educational reform and encourage the principals of other alternative schools to picture the connotation and value of transformative curriculum leadership and establish more new curriculum models of alternative education.

Spirituality can make a difference: The impact of principals’ spiritual leadership on teachers’ psychological capital and organizational commitment in high-school environment

Chuan-Chung Hsieh,Si-Hsien Lin,Hui-Chieh Li 한국교육개발원 2022 KEDI Journal of Educational Policy Vol.19 No.1

This study explores the impact of principals’ spiritual leadership on teachers’ organizational commitment (OC) and psychological capital (PsyCap) in a high-school environment. We tested the conceptual model using structural equation modeling (SEM) of data collected from a sample of 803 high-school teachers in Taiwan. The results revealed that principals’ spiritual leadership had significant and positive impact on teachers’ PsyCap and that teachers’ PsyCap enhanced their OC. However, principals’ spiritual leadership had no direct effect on teachers’ OC. Teachers’ PsyCap was found to mediate fully the impact of principals’ spiritual leadership on OC. Discussion and implications of the results are presented.

Perceived instructional leadership and teacher self-efficacy of online teaching in Taiwan: Mediating effects of teacher professional community

Chuan-Chung Hsieh,Imam Gunawan,Hui-Chieh Li 한국교육개발원 2023 KEDI Journal of Educational Policy Vol.20 No.1

This study aimed to examine the mediating effects of teacher professional community on the relationship between perceived instructional leadership and teacher self-efficacy of online teaching in Taiwan. Data were collected from elementary and middle school teachers via an online survey using a questionnaire designed with well-developed scales. Analysis showed that perceived instructional leadership has no direct effect on teacher self-efficacy and that teacher professional community mediates fully the relationship between perceived instructional leadership and teacher self-efficacy. Among the four teacher professional community components examined, shared norms showed the most significant mediating effect. Results also revealed no significant difference in the relationships between variables across teachers in elementary and middle schools. Implications for school leadership and teacher learning are discussed.

Practice and reflection of principals’ transformative curriculum leadership in a Taiwan KIST school

Huan‐Kan Tseng,Chuan‐Chung Hsieh,Robin Jung‐Cheng Chen 한국교육개발원 2021 KEDI Journal of Educational Policy Vol.18 No.2

This study adopts the framework of transformative curriculum leadership theory, focused on one privatized school, the KIST (KIPP Inspired Schools in Taiwan) school, as a case study. The authors mainly utilize interview methods to explore the practices of principals’ transformative curriculum leadership in the KIST school, and find that the case of school principal leadership successfully integrates the interactions from the school autonomy, the local educational authority, and the private foundation into a driving force to develop a new educational model. Such results not only restructure the subjectivity of school education, but also effectively provide the reference framework for policy correction and solutions to the contemporary problems of rural education.

Importance and performance of SDGs perception among college students in Taiwan

Sophia Shi-Huei Ho,Hsin-Chih Lin,Chuan-Chung Hsieh,Robin Jung-Cheng Chen 서울대학교 교육연구소 2022 Asia Pacific Education Review Vol.23 No.4

This study explores Taiwanese college students’ awareness and action on UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) launched in 2015. These goals define key dimensions wherein youth’s recognition, appreciation, and implementations ignite global citizenship, therefore enhancing both employability and mobility. The SDGs have set a strong presence in higher education, but perhaps not enough as most studies have not assessed a holistic view of undergraduates’ SDGs perception. In a well-globalized Chinese society where undergraduate degrees are as widespread as in Taiwan, this study aims to uncover whether higher education institutions (HEIs) in Taiwan have served as enabling environments for the growth of global citizens. Building on the government’s educational reforms and individual policies, it asks: on which aspects have Taiwan excelled or receded, why, and what can our example offer the global community in sowing global citizens? The Importance–Performance Analysis (IPA) grid was conducted to assess college students’ recognition and implementation of each goal. A list of 17 goals and 68 items were identified from literature reviews and each item was rated using a five-point Likert scale. On the scale, the online survey enables the 1238 college students from HEIs, ranging from research to non-research ones, to rate the relative importance of the items, followed by another performance rating. We aspire analysis of the responses to allow reflection on the implementation of professional and general education, as results indicate the factors contributing to students’ cognition of the SDGs. Echoing current policy in Taiwan, we intend to offer insights and recommendations to extend students’ SDGs vision, ultimately enhancing youth’s international understanding and mobility.

Which is more influential on teaching practice, classroom management efficacy or instruction efficacy? Evidence from TALIS 2018

Robin Jung-Cheng Chen,Hsin-Chih Lin,Yi-Lung Hsueh,Chuan-Chung Hsieh 서울대학교 교육연구소 2020 Asia Pacific Education Review Vol.21 No.4

This study aims to explore relationship between teacher self-efficacy and teacher teaching practice in junior high schools at Taiwan. TALIS (2018) survey database is adopted, and 3106 teachers were analyzed in this research. Through literature review and exploratory factor analysis (EFA), the research model is assumed to include two constructs (classroom management efficacy and instruction efficacy) in teacher self-efficacy, and three constructs (clarity of instruction practice, cognitive activation practice, and classroom management practice) in teacher teaching practice. Through the analysis of Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), the main findings are as follows. (1) For clarity of instruction practice, instruction efficacy has more positive influences than classroom management efficacy. (2) For classroom management practice, classroom management efficacy as more positive influences than instruction efficacy. (3) For cognitive activation practice, instruction efficacy has positive influences but classroom management efficacy has negative influences.

Reflections on the role of indigenous principals of Taiwan: The pendulum of ancestral souls and modern standards

Huan-Kan Tseng,Chieh-Chen Wang,Jung-Cheng Chen,Hui-Chieh Li,Chuan-Chung Hsieh 한국교육개발원 2022 KEDI Journal of Educational Policy Vol.19 No.1

The purpose of this qualitative study is to present and shape successful indigenous school principal leadership in Taiwan. We focus particularly on a principal’s attitudes to change, how this influences principal leadership practice and ultimately its contribution to improving school performance. The study captures and analyzes opinions of the stakeholders of an indigenous school on principal leadership to understand how the principal leads the school to successful transformation. The results show that indigenous principal leadership emphasizes harmonious collective relationships, equality of power, spiritual satisfaction and collectivism. The ancestral soul is especially rooted in the principal’s philosophy and values, such that the principal makes good use of the blood ties between schools and tribes, and creates a community of a shared future, facing difficulties together. The findings contribute to the body of knowledge on shaping successful indigenous school principal leadership, which transforms the internal and external environmental factors into the forces for successful school change and benefits the stakeholders.