Principal Resilience and its Influential Occupational Drivers in Hong Kong: Developing and Validating the Principal Resilience Inventory

Based on a pilot study and a systematic review on principal resilience (Chen & Li, under preparation), the main aim of this project is to investigate principal resilience and how salient job drivers influence this resilience in Hong Kong. Specifically, this study aims to (1) develop and validate a Principal Resilience Inventory; (2) investigate the states of principal resilience; (3) identify what job resources, job demands and interplays affect principal resilience; and (4) explore how these job resources, job demands and interplays affect principal resilience. To achieve these aims, the project will employ an exploratory sequential mixed-methods design with four studies located in qualitative and quantitative strands. The qualitative strand consists of an interview study with a sample of 24 Hong Kong principals and a 3-panel interview study in order to develop the items and dimensions of the Principal Resilience Inventory and identify the impact of salient job resources and demands and their interactions on principal resilience. The quantitative strand contains two survey studies with two different groups of principals (50~100 and 300~350) to validate the Principal Resilience Inventory and explore the impact of job resources and demands and their interactions on principal resilience. This project will provide empirical insights to advance knowledge of principal resilience by establishing an authentic conceptual linkage between salient job resources and demands and their interactions with principal resilience. This result will enable principals to better utilise their resilience to negotiate with available occupational resources and to navigate everyday challenges and adversities to optimise individual and school wellness and success. Through a robust validation procedure, this project will also produce a culturally-relevant, multi-dimensional Principal Resilience Inventory, that can potentially accelerate a balanced investigation of principal resilience through diverse research methods. Practically, the emphasis on salient job resources and demands and their interaction effect is solution-focused, as most of them are malleable and amenable to future resilience-building intervention efforts in order to cultivate resilient principals and then a resilient school through the cascade effect. The findings of this project can be also used to craft effective policies and practices for principal preparation, selection, and standardisation to enhance principal resilience in Hong Kong and help to enhance human capital building in Hong Kong society. These will eventually provide implications for the whole region and beyond.

Funding Source: RGC - General Research Fund (GRF)