| Against the backdrop of university-supported school improvement projects in recent years in Hong Kong, this research analyzes the role of change agents in and their impact on the sustainability of school improvement, from the perspective of increasing school improvement capacity building. The theme of this research focuses on two questions, namely (1) "What is the role of change agents in the sustainability of school improvement?" and (2) "How do change agents impact the sustainability of school improvement?";This research adopts a qualitative research methodology. This is because sustainable school improvement is a continuous process, the dynamic and continuously developing nature of which is best captured by the qualitative research method. In addition, the objects of the research are change agents, including external school development officers on one hand, and on the other hand, internally, school principals, veritable middle management staff members, and frontline teachers who do not have position power but are influential in the process. The qualitative research method is capable of providing in-depth analysis, description, explanation and interpretation of such particular as well as complex real life scenarios.;On the role of change agents in the sustainability of school improvement, the findings of the research are that change agents play different roles at different stages of sustainable school improvement. Besides, the importance of different types of change agents at different stages of sustainable school improvement varies. The formation of belief by the first type of change agents (school principals) is influenced by external change agents; external change agents and the first type of change agents are able to cooperate and coordinate with each other in the implementation of sustainable school improvement. Change agents also adopt different strategies in capacity building in different scenarios.;On how the change agents increase the school capacity building thereby impacting sustainable school improvement, the findings of the research are that capacity building is an important condition for sustainable school improvement and it helps realize the objective of school improvement. Change agents build capacity according to different situations of the school, including purposely organizing or moving different groups and cultivating school culture. Individual beliefs and group common goals interact and influence each other, and group common goals are influenced by the personal vision of the first type of change agents. The formation of beliefs by change agents is a continuous reflection process in practice.;In addition, the research has also found out that the strategies adopted by change agents to increase school improvement capacity sometimes can simultaneously weaken the capacity building. These include the conflict between organizational identity and the implementation strategies thereby hurting the school culture, and school members trying to maintain harmonious relationship, leading to the conflict between school culture and sub-culture.;In summary, this research has repeatedly demonstrated and confirmed that different types of change agents play different roles in the process of sustainable school improvement, and that each of them coordinated and cooperated with each other in assisting the work related to sustainable school improvement. They adopt strategies to increase the organizational capacity of the school, group capacity and their own individual capacity to promote sustainable school improvement, according to different situations of different schools. |
