| This study examines the relationship between curriculum leadership strategies and curriculum implementation stages in the New Senior Secondary Curriculum for the Liberal Studies subject in Hong Kong. Semi structured interviews were conducted with three subject panels, eight teachers and three teaching assistants from three local secondary schools. It was found that the curriculum leadership strategies (personal, classroom and school) employed in the three key stages (planning, implementation and evaluation or 'PIE' ) of the integrated model (see Figure 2) proposed by the researcher varied, depending on maturity, continuity, complexity and sustainability in the leadership development process categorized as restricted, emergent and developed. Within the cyclic process in PIE stages, the operation of 'feedback system' comes importantly. It is believed that the quality feedback collected from students. assessment, teachers. efficacy, and the curriculum evaluation is significant in improving the work of curriculum leadership strategies. Furthermore, the choices of the curriculum leadership strategies are influenced by the constraints encountered, curriculum leadership styles, and school context. Besides, different leadership styles consisting of such elements as curriculum management, decision-making and power relationship were adopted by the three schools: distributed leadership for School A, facilitative leadership for School B, and collaborative leadership for School C. The conceptual framework allows educators and other stakeholders to understand how and why certain curriculum leadership strategies are associated with some particular curriculum implementation stages. Finally, further research is recommended on: (a) the degree of adoption of the strategies; (b) the development of curriculum leadership forms; and (c) the 'feedback system' under various school contexts involving people relationship and organizational culture. |
