Campbell, Paul
Re-examining p incipal lea ning and leade ship in imes o complexi y
Jou nal ü Leh e Innenbildung 25 (2025) 3, S. 82-91
Quellenangabe/ Re e ence:
Campbell, Paul: Re-examining p incipal lea ning and leade ship in imes o complexi y - In: Jou nal ü
Leh e Innenbildung 25 (2025) 3, S. 82-91 - URN: u n:nbn:de:0111-pedocs-344615 - DOI:
10.25656/01:34461; 10.35468/jlb-03-2025-07
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Bibliog a ie:
Paul Campbell (2025).
Re-examining P incipal Lea ning and
Leade ship in Times o Complexi y.
jou nal ü leh e Innenbildung, 25 (2), 81–91.
h ps://doi.o g/10.35468/jlb-03-2025-07
82
jlb no. 3/2025  h ps://doi.o g/10.35468/jlb-03-2025-07
07
Paul Campbell
Re-examining P incipal Lea ning and
Leade ship in Times o Complexi y
Abs ac  • This s udy examines a ying concep ions o p incipal lea ning using Hong
Kong as he con ex o s udy. Th ough in e iews wi h 15 p incipals, i examines he
e ec i eness o p o essional lea ning in add essing he con empo a y and complex
challenges o he p incipalship. Findings highligh he impo ance o men o ship, con-
inuous and a ied lea ning oppo uni ies, and on- he-job expe iences, while no ing
gaps in aligning p o essional lea ning p og ams wi h he eali ies o leade ship p ac-
ices and e ol ing demands on schools and hei leade s. Implica ions o p incipal
p epa a ion in e na ionally a e conside ed.
Schlagwo e/Keywo ds • p incipal lea ning, school leade ship, school imp o emen
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Re-examining P incipal Lea ning and Leade ship
jlb no. 3/2025  h ps://doi.o g/10.35468/jlb-03-2025-07
In oduc ion
School leade ship emains a key ac o in educa ion quali y and suc-
cess ul s uden ou comes ac oss sys ems (UNESCO, 2024; Lei hwood
e al., 2020). Schools al eady ace complex demands in suppo ing
a ied s uden lea ning needs, wellbeing challenges, and complex
and shi ing social dynamics, all o which a e compounded by shi -
ing cons i u ional and social in as uc u e in many socie ies, and
sha ed global challenges o clima e and heal h eme gencies, con lic ,
and echnological ad ancemen (Campbell, 2020). Gi en his, he de-
mands on he ole o school leade s, pa icula ly p incipals, a e e e
inc easing in bo h expec a ion and complexi y, and wi h ha , ques-
ions a ise as o how bes p incipals can be p epa ed o and suppo -
ed in hei oles. D awing upon da a collec ed om a la ge s udy on
p incipals’ li e his o ies in ela ion o educa ion e o m in Hong Kong,
his pape examines he ques ion:
(RQ): How is p incipal lea ning concep ualized wi hin he Hong Kong
educa ion sys em, and how do se ing p incipals pe cei e he e ec-
i eness o hei p o essional lea ning in add essing he challenges
and eali ies o he p incipalship?
Dynamic Changes in he Educa ion Sys em and
P incipals’ Roles
Wi h he ise o neo-libe al and new public managemen models in
he go e nance o public se ices such as educa ion, he e ha e been
inc eased demands and o ms o accoun abili y o schools and hei
leade s (Sa age, 2021; Gu , 2024). The 2024 Global Educa ion Mon-
i o ing Repo (UNESCO, 2024) no ed ha expec a ions o leade s a
school and sys em le els ha e been changing, also shaped by social
p e e ences and belie s on educa ion. As a esul , leade ship in schools
is becoming inc easingly challenging as hey a e expec ed o deli e
an expanding se o esul s, and he selec ion, p epa a ion, and de el-
opmen o school leade s a e o en no designed well enough o en-
su e good condi ions o e ec i e school leade ship (UNESCO, 2024).
P incipal p epa a ion p og ams (PPPs) ha a e in place in many sys-
ems o en emphasise elemen s such as ins uc ional leade ship,
s anda ds-based cu icula, and ield-based o ms o in e nships; ele-
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men s belie ed o be c ucial o de eloping e ec i e school leade s.
These p og ams o en inco po a e ac i e ins uc ional s a egies o-
cused on applica ion o lea ning, igo ous ec ui men p ocesses, and
s ong pa ne ships wi h schools and dis ic s o add ess he complex
challenges o he p incipalship, such as imp o ing eaching p ac ices
and s uden pe o mance (Da is & Da ling-Hammond, 2012).
The P incipalship and P incipal P epa a ion
in Hong Kong
Unde s anding e ec i eness and in luence o PPPs is also media ed
by socio-cul u al con ex . In Hong Kong, his is cha ac e ized by high
powe -dis ance and a hie a chical s uc u e, which poses addi ional
challenges o p incipal p o essional lea ning a he aspi ing, newly
appoin ed, and se ing s ages o p incipalship. This cul u e o en lim-
i s eache s’ in ol emen in school decision-making and inno a ion,
which can complica e he leade ship o school imp o emen e o s,
and he implemen a ion o educa ional e o ms (Wong & Liu, 2018).
P incipal p epa a ion in Hong Kong is a s uc u ed and comp ehen-
si e p ocess o e seen by he Educa ion Bu eau (EDB), which ensu es
alignmen wi h p o essional s anda ds o p incipals (COTAP, 2015).
Aspi ing p incipals mus a ain he Ce i ica ion o P incipalship (CFP)
and comple e he P epa a ion o P incipalship (P P) cou se, co e -
ing s a egic di ec ion, policy en i onmen , lea ning, eaching, cu ic-
ulum, s a and esou ces managemen , and quali y assu ance. This
wo-yea p ocess culmina es in a needs analysis, success ul comple-
ion o he P P cou se, and a p o essional de elopmen po olio (Ed-
uca ion Bu eau, 2020). Only eache s wi h a leas i e yea s o expe-
ience, and a ecognised eaching quali ica ion a e eligible o en ol,
and comple e his alongside hei subs an i e ole. Newly appoin ed
p incipals unde go a designa ed p og am and engage in con inuing
p o essional de elopmen (CPD) ac i i ies ele an o hei pe sonal
and school needs, while se ing p incipals mus unde ake CPD ac i -
i ies o abou 50 hou s pe yea , o alling a minimum o 150 hou s in
a h ee-yea cycle (Educa ion Bu eau, 2024).
P incipal p epa a ion in Hong Kong also in ol es subs an ial in ol e-
men om expe ienced p incipals, oppo uni ies o e lec ion and
sha ing (Ng & Sze o, 2016; Walke & Dimmock, 2006), bu ollowing

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limi ed bu exis ing e alua i e wo k on hese p og ammes could ben-
e i om mo e lexible aining s uc u es and connec ion o exis ing
skills and knowledge o pa icipa ing leade s (Ng & Sze o, 2016).
Me hods
Wi h his in mind, his pape d aws upon da a om a la ge s udy ex-
amining how school p incipals desc ibe hei ca ee his o ies in ela-
ion o educa ional e o m, using li e his o y and na a i e me hods
(Clandinin & Connelly, 1998). 15 semi-s uc u ed in e iews we e
conduc ed wi h p incipals om go e nmen - unded p ima y and sec-
onda y schools ac oss Hong Kong in he yea 2024–2025, ec ui ed
h ough pu pose ul, con enience, and snowball sampling s a egies
(Esposi o & E ans-Win e s, 2022). Each pa icipan ook pa in one
in e iew las ing 60–90 minu es, ocusing on hei p o essional his-
o ies, leade ship app oaches, high, low and u ning poin s in hei
ca ee , and posi i e, nega i e and cu en e o m memo ies. Pa ic-
ipan s had a ied expe iences, anging om newly appoin ed p in-
cipals o hose wi h ex ensi e ca ee s in mul iple schools, including
oles as eache s, ice-p incipals, and p incipals. The di e si y in hei
backg ounds p o ided a comp ehensi e iew o p incipal lea ning and
leade ship wi hin he Hong Kong educa ion sys em.
Da a om he in e iews we e analysed i e a i ely, including he de-
elopmen o e lec i e no es and iden i ying o e a ching hemes. To
ensu e us wo hiness, membe checking and e lexi i y we e u i-
lised, including sha ing d a indings wi h pa icipan s o con i m ac-
cu acy (Lincoln & Guba, 1985).
Findings
The indings om his s udy p o ide a nuanced unde s anding o he
na u e o p incipals lea ning, how i is concep ualized in he Hong
Kong con ex , and how se ing p incipals pe cei e i s e icacy in p e-
pa ing hem o he eali ies o he p incipalship. Two key hemes a e
p esen ed, e lec ing he e ol ing needs o school leade ship and he
impo ance o on- he-job expe iences, ep esen ed in Fig. 1 and elab-
o a ed on below.
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Figu e 1: Na iga ing he P incipalship: Lea ning and Reali ies
E ol ing Needs
An icipa ing
•Cu iculum
•S uden s
•Socie y
Adap ing
•Educa ion Re o m
•Policies
•Ou comes
Engaging
•Ne wo ks
•Expe ise
•Communi y
Expe ience and
On- he-job Lea ning
Responding o Challenges
•Sha ed Challenges
•T us ed Colleagues
Examples and Insigh s
•Expe ise
•Expe iences
Ne wo ks and Suppo
•Beyond he School
•In o mal Lea ning
Fig. 1 Na iga ing he P incipalship: Lea ning and Reali ies
E ol ing Needs
P incipals highligh ed he dynamic na u e o educa ional policies and
he necessi y o schools o s ay ahead o hese changes. P incipals
a icula ed hei capaci y o an icipa ing needs o changes ahead,
adap ing o ex e nally imposed policies, and engaging wi h o he
s akeholde s in and ac oss hei communi ies in o de o espond o
shi ing needs and changes a a school and sys em le el. Fo ins ance,
one p incipal no ed ha ,
“Fo my eam, hey know ha wha he Educa ion Bu eau (EDB) p o-
posed, we had al eady done i e yea s ea lie . […] So, o us, none o hese
policies we e new. We had al eady p edic ed and implemen ed hem.”
(P incipal 2)
This p incipal a icula es ou comes o keeping ab eas o socie al
and educa ional changes and how his can suppo he an icipa ion
o u u e challenges. Wi hou a icula ing he speci ic lea ning ha
equipped hem o his, his p incipal was a icula ing a ibu es em-
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iniscen o heo ies o adap i e leade ship and sense-making, wi h a
ocus on lea ning (Ea ley, 2016).
Ano he p incipal no ed ha he na u e o his an icipa ion, adap a-
ion, and engagemen in ela ion o e ol ing needs o s uden s and
communi ies changed h oughou hei ca ee . They no ed ha ,
“Recen ly, he bigges change is ela ed o he de elopmen pa . I spen
o e 15-16 yea s ca e ing o lea ning di e si y inside he school, wo king
on cu iculum di e en ia ion and di e si ying he lea ning expe ience o
s uden s. […] This is a big u ning poin o me. I now spend mo e ime
wo king wi h ou side s akeholde s.” (P incipal 1)
Fo his p incipal, as hey de eloped in hei ole, hey e lec ed ha
hei engagemen wi h a b oade g oup o communi y pa ne s ha
could play a ole in suppo ing he lea ning o s uden s and wo k o he
school, came o domina e hei wo k mo e han wha had p e iously
been abou mo e mic o-speci ic ma e s wi hin he school. This shi
o e ime also indica es a ecogni ion o he a ied expe ise needed
o suppo leade ship o change in esponse o e ol ing needs, and
he ole o ne wo ks wi hin and ac oss he school communi y in iden-
i ying and u ilising ha expe ise (Wang, 2018; Echa ez e al., 2023).
The impo ance o ne wo ks and indi iduals wi hin and beyond he
school communi y was also iden i ied as being an impo an ac o
in he ele ance o he p o essional lea ning p incipals engaged in o
suppo hei wo k (S one & S one, 2024).
Expe ience and On- he-job Lea ning
The na u e o he lea ning ha hese leade s we e choosing o engage
in was no only abou o mal o c eden ialed p og ammes. Many o
he p incipals also a icula ed he impo ance o a ied expe iences
and oppo uni ies o on- he-job lea ning ha suppo ed hem when
acing di e en challenges o changes. P incipals a la e s ages o
hei ca ee ecoun ed ins ances whe e hey applied hei accumu-
la ed knowledge and skills o ans o m s uggling schools, imp o e
s uden pe o mance, and enhance en olmen , all o which emain
con empo a y issues in Hong Kong schools. Addi ionally, pa icipa ion
in p o essional o ganisa ions was no ed as p o iding oppo uni ies o
lea ning and con ibu ing o he p o essional de elopmen o pee s,
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which was pe cei ed o u he en ich hei own leade ship capabili-
ies. One p incipal no ed ha ,
“When I joined, he school was in a e y challenging s a e. […] inancial
issues, cu iculum p oblems, and low en olmen . I conduc ed ex ensi e
esea ch and applied e e y hing I had lea ned om my p e ious oles o
add ess hese challenges. In jus h ee yea s, he school saw a signi ican
ans o ma ion. S uden pe o mance imp o ed d ama ically, and en ol-
men soa ed.” (P incipal 7)
This illus a es he ange o lea ning his p incipal belie ed was nec-
essa y o unde s and and espond o challenges, he impo ance o
esea ch and knowledge, he applica ion o his, and he a ie y o
means h ough which hey engage in his lea ning (Bo en e al., 2017).
Rela ed o his was also he impo ance o lea ning om and wi h o h-
e s, and sha ing knowledge and expe ise ha hese indi iduals ha e
con ibu ed as pa o hei own de elopmen , and wha hey pe -
cei ed as hei con ibu ion o he p o ession. Such as,
“I was in i ed o join he [p incipal associa ion] […] as a Council membe .
To me, i seemed like a chance o lea ning, so I joined o see how I could
con ibu e and also o lea n om o he s who had been wo king he e
o some ime. And h ough ha expe ience, I saw some hing di e en .
I wasn’ jus abou lea ning how o manage a school and ake ca e o
day- o-day ma e s, bu abou p omo ing p o essional de elopmen o
p incipals. I was abou making p incipalship mo e p o essional, helping
p incipals become be e a wha hey do.” (P incipal 3)
Highligh ed by his p incipal was he impo ance o p o essional lea n-
ing and in e ac ions wi h pee s and how his also suppo ed b oade
s a egic hinking, planning, and de elopmen o how he p incipal-
ship was pe cei ed and p ac iced (Sahlin, 2025; Johnson e al., 2021).
Discussion and Implica ions
P incipal lea ning wi hin he Hong Kong educa ion sys em is concep-
ualized h ough a s uc u ed and comp ehensi e p ocess o e seen
by he EDB, emphasizing p incipals’ capaci y o de eloping s a e-
gic di ec ion, nego ia ing he policy en i onmen , and implemen ing
school-based managemen . Se ing p incipals add u he nuance o
his concep ualisa ion; pe cei ing hei p o essional lea ning as pa -
ially e ec i e in add essing he challenges and eali ies o he p in-