School culture is playing an increasingly important role in school performance and educational development. Within the national campaign in China for the innovative and sustainable development of education, local governments in Beijing Municipality have encouraged and facilitated educational innovation toward better school culture. In recent years various initiatives have been undertaken by a select group of schools to develop strategies and further action toward innovation and change. This book documents an investigation of how teachers and principals perceive school culture development in China. A survey was conducted among 1,992 informants from 37 schools (located in four different districts) in Beijing Municipality. The results of this study indicated that the respondents had overall positive perceptions of school culture construction and development in the educational change process. In general, they showed a positive attitude toward the school culture improvement initiatives, reported satisfaction about their current school culture and held confidence in the direction their school culture is heading. The study demonstrated that certain factors, such as school geographical location and respondents’ job duty, job title, and gender, make a difference in how participants perceive their school’s culture. Teachers and principals from a less economically developed district had less awareness of, involvement in, and understanding of school culture development in all its aspects. A notable gap between teachers and principals was identified in their perception of the core values and norms of the school and of communication between teachers and principals. This study suggests that for educational development to be further carried forward successfully, there is an urgent need for better distribution of educational resources (both financial and leadership), common understanding, agreed-upon goals, and efficient communication between principals and teachers. KeywordsEducational philosophy, Ethics, Chinese context, Gender, Learning

This collection of papers by a group of Chinese educational administrators came about through a graduate study program that facilitated comparisons of educational practices from other cultures against the backdrop of globalization. Collaborative international programs allow contrast and comparisons of practices, policies and educational principles but are not without barriers faced by candidates which can include but are not limited to culture shock and communication and language adjustments. Comparisons of international educational institutions are telling when examined through transfer credit policies, degree recognition, institutional accreditation and the value of academic credits in a globalized educational marketplace. China and Chinese educators recognize that movement and take it most seriously as demonstrated by the group of educational ambassadors who have contributed a variety of perspectives and interests to this volume. They are a new wave of thinkers whose studies embrace their native culture and open minds to alternative ways of understanding and acting on rapidly changing educational circumstances for learners, teachers and administrators.

This dissertation, "Perceptions of School Culture: NETS Vis-a-visstudents" by Ho-ma, Ada, Shum, 岑賀美, was obtained from The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong) and is being sold pursuant to Creative Commons: Attribution 3.0 Hong Kong License. The content of this dissertation has not been altered in any way. We have altered the formatting in order to facilitate the ease of printing and reading of the dissertation. All rights not granted by the above license are retained by the author. DOI: 10.5353/th_b3196254 Subjects: School environment - China - Hong Kong English language - Study and teaching (Secondary) - China - Hong Kong English teachers - China - Hong Kong - Attitudes Teachers, Foreign - China - Hong Kong - Attitudes High school students - China - Hong Kong - Attitudes Education, Secondary - Sociological aspects - China - Hong Kong Culture shock - China - Hong Kong - Case studies

School Culture Improvement follows an abstract-concrete-abstract train of thought. The first three chapters answer the questions from the angle of abstract theory: what is the school culture and how is it managed? What is the school culture drive model? What is the school culture assessment? The two chapters thereafter solve major problems from the perspective of operations: how to develop the school culture solution and how to implement the school culture and promote cultural practices? The book concludes at the abstract theoretical level, on the position of sociological reflection, exploring what is the rationality and legitimacy of school culture and how does school culture happen?School Culture Improvement is one of the few school culture monographs which aims directly at management. Its contribution and features lie in two aspects: connecting school culture and school improvement and connecting research on project case and school culture, thus establishing a relatively complete system of school culture improvement theory. In this book, the author originates the following views and models: concept of school culture, school culture tripod structure theory, school culture spectrum theory, school culture drive model, and school culture unity and conflict.

This open access book outlines key terms of China’s school leadership in Chinese political and legal, financial, administrative, and cultural contexts. It reveals and interprets the real meaning of these practical terms based on existing laws, government documents, school policy texts as well as the latest empirical findings from school leaders and teachers’ surveys and interviews in China. Providing a holistic picture of China’s school leadership through the unique meanings of these terms, the book offers researchers and graduate students insights into school leadership practice and its context in China. Thus, it would likely intensify readers’ knowledge base to analyse and interpret the phenomenon and research data regarding China’s school leadership.

With existing educational leadership models and theories being predominantly western influenced, this book aims to provide more insight into school leadership in China. It pioneers building research- and practice-informed knowledge and unravels the complexities that characterize the scholarship, context and practices of school leadership. School leadership in China is presented through four sub-purposes: investigating how Chinese school leadership is conceptualized in the international and Chinese literature; exploring the shifting context within which Chinese school leaders enact their leadership, and examining key policies that have shaped the practice of leader development; extending the understandings about the complexities of work lives of Chinese school leaders; and further locating indigenous understandings of Chinese school leadership in the political and socio-cultural context of contemporary China, and the theoretical and conceptual context of international school leadership. This text will be particularly useful to international education researchers with focus on educational leadership, comparative education, education policy and education in China.

This book comprehensively examines classroom culture in the Chinese context and develops the model of “collective-individualism-based learning.” Classroom culture plays a fundamental role in constructing students’ learning competencies, perceptions, and behaviors. This book puts forward a collective-individualism-based learning model to explain the classroom culture in China, both past and present. The collective-individualism-based model reflects the individualized learning style of students in Chinese classroom culture, and is characterized by nine symbolic objects; a textbook, an exercise book, a pen, a blackboard, a screen, a computer, a table, a chair, and a platform. In addition to summarizing this approach to learning, the book examines the construction of a classroom culture with Chinese characteristics and argues that the collective-individualism-based model accurately portrays the personal learning style of students in a specific classroom culture that includes particular symbolic objects.