International School Principals' Cross-cultural Leadership Study

Presently in China,educational globalization is continuously developing.An emerging question is‘How leadership efficiency faces problems in another culture?'This dissertation focuses on answering this questionResearch question is in the cross-cultural environment,how international school principals could learn the attribution ability and contingency skill to improve their leadership.Based on the research participants---international school principals in China,this study found attribution and contingency skills have been neglected in most cases.Developing the knowledge and training of these two skills would be a point of origin in solving leadership problems at the root.Therefore,the dissertation argues that "correct attribution is the foundation of proper contingency," and problem solving suggestions and training proposals follow accordingly.To enhance the skills of attribution and contingency in the cross cultural environment,not only for international principals in China,also comprehensively benefits the wider group of cross cultural leaders(such as those coming from outside of China,working overseas in various fields and for different organizations)to develop their leadership abilities.This study shows the value and application of these skillsThe study originated from direct working experience with international principals and observations of their needs.The ideas contribute both to theory and also to practice.They could:1.Open a new research perspective.Current theories of attribution and contingency each perform their own function,and in this study they are combined.It shapes a new angle to studying leadership by observing further on "where is the beginning and the end in the attribution process,and what are the basic characteristics of cross-cultural contingency"?2.Develop first hand material in line with the requirements of Ed.D.study as practical first hand research,a different emphasis in comparison to the Ph.D.'s theory orientated study.This paper utilized Field Research and developed interviews and investigations to explore the real working lives and cross cultural immersion experiences of international principals.These are the original research findings in the current study.3.Deepen the study of leadership environment.There is an apparent influential difference in leadership,from a local perspective compared to cross cultural perspectives.How great can this influence be?There is currently no existing leadership environment research,the study explains.This paper takes international principals as a sample group to study why they consciously or subconsciously want to dominate or control(not adapt)in cross cultural working environments.This has become a thinking trap for these leaders.4.Create multiple types of training.The paper does not talk about ordinary leadership training.The first emphasis is to combine the key skills of attribution and contingency into the cross cultural leadership construction.Secondly,raise the assistant training program as an important bridge between different cultures.Furthermore,to conduct the training program school wide.In other words,the training is designed specific to the leaders and their respective organizations.The dissertation contains:Introduction includes the origin of the study,research significance,hypotheses and research participants.This section gives an overview of the studyThe first chapter,Literary Review,is composed in four parts.Part one studies culture and value as a foundation,then examines cross cultural leadership and ends in cross cultural principal leadership.Part two focuses on principal leadership theory.Part three leads to discover the current absence of cross-cultural principal leadership in international school.The last part briefs the theory and the use of various attribution and contingency in the study.Chapter Two is Research Methodology.It introduces the working experience related application of observation and interview.The main cross-cultural problems popped up from the data collections of the questioners.The research borrows from the Field Research and underlines the importance of the role of anthropology research methods.Chapter Three presents the finding from the cross-cultural principal leadership most related questionnaire.It brings various examples to illustrate the international principals'working challenge,communication difficulties,daily life issues and social networking obstacles.These firsthand stories demonstrates the key problems of cultural difference and strategic difficulties.Chapter Four discussed the problem solving based on contingency and attribution theories.It employs more firsthand accounts of dilemmas,difficulties and challenges and work experiences of international principals.,this chapter goes further to explore the negative influence caused by the attribution bias on contingency.Results suggest that attribution bias is the cause for inefficient leadership in China..It provides a deep reflection on attribution and contingency which echoes the hypotheses of "correct attribution is the foundation of proper contingency".Chapter Five suggests the solutions of how to improve cross-cultural leadership among the international principals and international schools in China and gives constructive leadership building ideas.This part is concerned with the main purpose of the Ed.D study's educational function.It designs cross cultural training not only for international principals but also for their assistants as well as the whole organization.A healthy institutional culture depends on the collective awareness of cross culture.The final Conclusion briefs the key points of the previous chapters and stresses on the originalities of this study.The expectation of future studies in cross cultural leadership is also included.