Re-examining principal learning and leadership in times of complexity

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 h ps://nbn- esol ing.o g/u n:nbn:de:0111-pedocs-344615 h ps://doi.o g/10.25656/01:34461 in Koope a ion mi / in coope a ion wi h: h p://www.klinkha d .de Nu zungsbedingungen Te ms o use Dieses Dokumen s eh un e olgende C ea i e Commons-Lizenz: h p://c ea i ecommons.o g/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/deed.de - Sie dü en das We k bzw. den Inhal un e olgenden Bedingungen e iel äl igen, e b ei en und ö en lich zugänglich machen sowie Abwandlungen und Bea bei ungen des We kes bzw. Inhal es an e igen: Sie müssen den Namen des Au o s/Rech einhabe s in de on ihm es geleg en Weise nennen. 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Kon ak / Con ac : peDOCS DIPF | Leibniz-Ins i u ü Bildungs o schung und Bildungsin o ma ion In o ma ionszen um (IZ) Bildung E-Mail: [email p o ec ed] In e ne : www.pedocs.de jou nal ü leh e Innenbildung jlb no.3 2025 Gesam ausgabe online un e : h p://www.jlb-jou nalleh e innenbildung.ne h ps://doi.o g/10.35468/jlb-03-2025 ISSN 2629-4982 Ausbildung on Schullei enden 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 83 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- 84 Paul Campbell jlb no. 3/2025  h ps://doi.o g/10.35468/jlb-03-2025-07 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 85 Re-examining P incipal Lea ning and Leade ship jlb no. 3/2025  h ps://doi.o g/10.35468/jlb-03-2025-07 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. 86 Paul Campbell jlb no. 3/2025  h ps://doi.o g/10.35468/jlb-03-2025-07 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- 87 Re-examining P incipal Lea ning and Leade ship jlb no. 3/2025  h ps://doi.o g/10.35468/jlb-03-2025-07 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, 88 Paul Campbell jlb no. 3/2025  h ps://doi.o g/10.35468/jlb-03-2025-07 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-