Browsing by Author "Szeto, Elson"

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    How do principals' practices reflect democratic leadership for inclusion in diverse school settings? A Hong Kong case study
    (2021) Szeto, Elson
    Research on principals' practice of democratic leadership for inclusion in schools has been undertaken in many parts of the world. This paper explores four principals' leadership journeys in response to social justice issues in increasingly diverse settings within public schools, in relation to demographic and cultural changes in Hong Kong. This research aims at exploring the issues in schools arising from contextual changes in the society, contextualising characteristics of principals' practices in relation to an emergent conception of democratic leadership practice in addressing the issues and identifying practical roles of democratic principal leadership in school transformation for diverse students' learning development. I adopted a cross-case study of the principals' leadership journeys through a theoretical lens of democratic leadership. The changes of demographic structure and cultural context and pressure from the central administration were the conditions of facilitating alternative practices of democratic principal leadership in a multicultural school context which evolved from the hybrid of Western and Confucian cultures in the city. These findings contribute to an international account of contextualising democratic leadership practices in a diverse Chinese school community.
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    Middle teacher leadership practice for social justice: Young people's career development in senior secondary education
    (2021) Volante Beach, Paulo Luis; Szeto, Elson; Kuen-fung, Sin
    This study aims at exploring middle teacher leadership practices for social justice in career and life planning (CLP) education as part of the research collaboration developed in the International School Leadership Development Network (ISLDN) in the past decade. We have identified that young people face challenges to their career development in different types of public secondary schools led by various school leaders. Teacher leaders of the education, as informal or formal middle leaders, are responsible for the whole-school programme development, while senior secondary students are participants to be inspired about potential career pathways before graduation. However, allocation of students to different schools according to their academic achievement is a long-standing social justice issue. A framework of inclusivity was adopted for exploration of the teacher leaders' experiences of the issue in leading the education, and diverse young people's experiences of development in different secondary school types in Hong Kong. A qualitative approach was used for capturing the views of three teachers and three groups of students in three school types in answer to the research questions: What challenges facing the whole-school CLP education for different young people are derived from the social justice issue in secondary schooling? How do middle teacher leaders cope with challenges through their leadership practices in socially just CLP education for students in different types of school? What equal development opportunities for younger people's career pathways can be contextualised from the leadership practices in the schools? Although the students' self-understanding and competencies can generally be awakened, different interests and various abilities beyond academic performance are the common key factors of tailor-made CLP education for every student's development by the school types. A long-term commitment to social justice for youth's future pathways is also discussed. So, the challenges in Hong Kong can resonate with other schools in different education systems as further research in the second decade of ISLDN's international collaboration.
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    Social cohesion for societal prosperity: Teachers' inclusive development of career education for all students' growth in Hong Kong secondary schools
    (2022) Szeto, Elson
    Teachers shape secondary students' career development for social mobility with equal opportunities in a cohesive society. Concomitantly, young people have recently marched against socio-political challenges to the development of civil societies in different locations. A cross-case study of career education in different schools of a Chinese society was conducted to explore a paradoxical dilemma between teachers' inclusive development of the education for every student and the missing social inclusion of the society in an adverse socio-political situation. Students should be prepared for the sense of social inclusion. Implications of the dilemma for cultivating a cohesive civil society are also discussed. (c) 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.