Activity theory approach to developing teacher curriculum leadership: Hong Kong perspectives

This study is designed on the basis on the key premises of Activity Theory, in the development of curriculum leadership among two groups of primary teachers in an innovation engaged school in Hong Kong China in April 2005 and 2008. Three curriculum development teams were formed and their membership and leadership were manipulated to create internal tensions and contradictions among members in a flattened leadership context. The aim is to investigate the extent that teacher participation in curriculum decision making processes is mediated by the artifacts such as hierarchical power, roles and leadership styles. The findings based on the analysis of the interviews as well as the video taped meetings of the curriculum teams point to the varying mediation effects of the two artifacts, namely the roles of the consultants and the leadership styles upon teacher participation.