Teachers' Professional Development: The Interplay of Influence Between Principal Leadership and Professional Cultures in a Multicultural Context

• In Event: Division K Section 1 Poster Session: Teaching, Teacher Education, and Professional Development in the Content Areas

Abstract

This paper aims at extending the understanding of an interplay of influence between principal leadership and professional culture on school-based professional development. Early-career teachers start to experience the reality of professional practice in different schools in a Chinese society. The key question is: How did the interplay of influence between the leadership and culture facilitate or discourage the teachers’ development pathways in the first 6 years of practice? A case study of three teachers’ professional development was adopted to explore the influence. Findings show a pattern of the interplay of influence on the professional development based on the teachers’ experiences and perceptions of the influence of principal leadership and school professional culture. Implications for school-based professional development are also highlighted.

Authors

• Elson S.Y. Szeto, The Education University of Hong Kong

• Tze Leung Lui, The Education University of Hong Kong