Principals' changing work in a time of Hong Kong education reform: Challenges and opportunities

This study examines the changing nature of principals' work in the context of the global movement of education reform. This changing nature is not uncommon in different education systems across various societies. We adopted a case study approach to unpack two Hong Kong principals' struggles with the challenges posed by the changes in education policy and increasing student diversity in a Chinese context. Three research questions are addressed: (1) What challenges did the principals face at the time of the education reforms? (2) What was the major change in the principals' work in addressing those challenges? (3) How did the principals view their changing work under the education reform? Multiple qualitative data were collected, including semi-structured interviews and documentary evidence such as school reports and school development plans. The results show that the principals had been changing and expanding the scope of their work over the past decade. Despite this change, they could identify new opportunities emerging from the challenges that were sustaining the school development. The implications of the principals' changing work for school improvement and future research are discussed. Copyright © 2016 Commonwealth Council for Educational Administration & Management.