Taylor & Francis School Culture Development in China - Perceptions of Teachers and Principals (River Publishers Series in Innovation and Change in Education)

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. About the Author Kai Yu ( ), Ph.D., is an associate professor of education and public policy in the Faculty of Education at Beijing Normal University. He earned his Ph.D. in comparative education from Beijing Normal University in 1999 and an Ed. D. degree in education policy and leadership from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst in 2008. He worked as policy analyst for the Chinese Ministry of Education from 1999 to 2003 and for the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs in 2006. At present, he serves as a consultant to UNICEF and Chinese governmental agencies and is a board member of the Zigen Rural Education and Development Fund of China. Among other works, Dr. Kai Yu is the author of The Implementation of Inclusive Education in Beijing: Exorcizing the Haunting Specter of Meritoc- racy and American Education, as well as numerous articles, book chapters, and monographs on education and public policy, school improvement, and evaluation studies. Xiaoju Duan ( ), Ph.D., is a post-doctoral fellow in the Department of Learning and Philosophy at Aalborg University. She is also an assistant professor at the Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Her Ph.D. is in educational and developmental psychology. She has published a number of peer-reviewed articles in the fields of education, neurosciences, and cognitive development. Xiangyun Du ( ), Ph.D., is a professor in the Department of Learning and Philosophy and director of the Confucius Institute for Innovation and Learning at Aalborg University. She is also an adjunct professor at Beijing Normal University and at China Medical University. Her main research interests include innovative teaching and learning in education, particularly, problem-based and project-based learning method in fields ranging from engineering, medicine and health, and language education, to diverse social, cultural and educational contexts. She has also engaged with educational institutions