Keywords
Leadership
Distributed leadership
Pedagogical leadership
Cultural adaptation
Professional learning communities
Professional development
Submitted : 2025-06-07
Accepted : 2025-06-22
Published : 2025-07-07
Abstract
This study explores the key elements of effective leadership in early childhood education (ECE) and examines the integration of distributed leadership and pedagogical leadership within different cultural contexts. The findings indicate that while distributed leadership promotes collaboration and teacher empowerment, its implementation can be constrained in cultures with strong hierarchical traditions. In contrast, pedagogical leadership focuses on teaching quality but may limit teacher autonomy. To address this, the study proposes a Culturally Adaptive Integrated Model, where pedagogical leadership establishes a shared educational vision, ensuring alignment in teaching practices, while distributed leadership progressively fosters collaborative decision-making within this framework.
References
Klevering N, McNae R, 2019, Making Sense of Leadership in Early Childhood Education: Tensions and Complexities Between Concepts and Practices. Journal of Educational Leadership, Policy and Practice, 33(1): 5–17.
Karaoğlu S, 2020, Reflection Upon Effective Leadership in the Early Childhood Services from Policy and Practice Perspective. Eurasian Journal of Teacher Education, 1(2): 82–95.
Denee R, 2023, Distributed Leadership Across a Network Professional Learning Community. Journal of Educational Leadership, Policy and Practice, 37(1): 76–92.
Cigala A, Venturelli E, Bassetti M, 2019, Reflective Practice: A Method to Improve Teachers’ Well-Being. A Longitudinal Training in Early Childhood Education and Care Centers. Frontiers in Psychology, 10: Article 2574.
Fu W, 2022, A Critical Examination of Effective Leadership in Early Childhood Education. Journal of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, 7(1): 1–14.
Wang M, Ho D, 2018, Making Sense of Teacher Leadership in Early Childhood Education in China. International Journal of Leadership in Education, 23(3): 1–15.
Thornton K, Cherrington S, 2018, Professional Learning Communities in Early Childhood Education: A Vehicle for Professional Growth. Professional Development in Education, 45(3): 418–432.
Douglass A, 2019, Leadership for Quality Early Childhood Education and Care (OECD Education Working Papers, No. 211). OECD Publishing, Paris.
Gibbs L, 2020, Leadership Emergence and Development: Organizations Shaping Leading in Early Childhood Education. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 50(4): 672–693.
Lee Y, Douglass A, Zeng S, et al., 2022, Preparing Early Educators as Frontline Leaders and Change Agents with a Leadership Development Initiative. International Journal of Child Care and Education Policy, 16(1): 1–18.
Guerra P, Poblete X, Rodriguez M, et al., 2024, Caring Leadership in Early Childhood Education in Chile: Tensions from a Highly Gendered Context. School Leadership and Management, 44(2): 102–119.
Heikkinen K, Ahtiainen R, Fonsén E, 2022, Perspectives on Leadership in Early Childhood Education and Care Centers Through Community of Practice. SAGE Open, 12(2): 1–9.
Tam A, 2018, Conceptualizing Distributed Leadership: Diverse Voices of Positional Leaders in Early Childhood Education. Leadership and Policy in Schools, 18(4): 1–18.
Fonsén E, Ukkonen-Mikkola T, 2019, Early Childhood Education Teachers’ Professional Development Towards Pedagogical Leadership. Educational Research, 61(2): 181–196.
Fonsén E, Szecsi T, Kupila P, et al., 2022, Teachers’ Pedagogical Leadership in Early Childhood Education. Educational Research, 65(1): 1–23.
Lund H, 2021, “We Are Equal, But I Am the Leader”: Leadership Enactment in Early Childhood Education in Norway. International Journal of Leadership in Education, 1–26.
Ziliotti E, 2022, Questions for Hierarchical Confucianism. The Review of Politics, 84(3): 329–349.
Zhang L, Yu S, 2016, “I Am Not a Babysitter”: A Case Study of Five Chinese Mainland Early Childhood Teachers’ Identity. Journal of Education for Teaching, 43(1): 117–119.
Wang M, Xia J, 2020, A Scale for Measuring Teacher Leadership in Early Childhood Education in China: Development and Validation. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 50(4): 649–671.
Zhang Y, He W, Long L, et al., 2021, Does Pay for Individual Performance Truly Undermine Employee Creativity? The Different Moderating Roles of Vertical and Horizontal Collectivist Orientations. Human Resource Management, 61(1): 21–38.
Tan C, 2017, A Confucian Perspective of Self-Cultivation in Learning: Its Implications for Self-Directed Learning. Journal of Adult and Continuing Education, 23(2): 250–262.
Xiaoxin W, Defoort C, 2017, Laozi Studies in the Twenty-First Century. Contemporary Chinese Thought, 48(3): 111–114.
Yang W, 2019, Moving from Imitation to Innovation: Exploring a Chinese Model of Early Childhood Curriculum Leadership. Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, 20(1): 35–52.
Alonso-Yanez G, Preciado-Babb AP, Brown B, et al., 2021, Emergence in School Systems: Lessons from Complexity and Pedagogical Leadership. Canadian Journal of Educational Administration and Policy, 196: 65–82.