In the context of educational decentralisation, school leadership encompassing different sources of leadership is significant for school performance. However, few studies have investigated the pathway regarding how principals and teachers as distinct sources of learning-centred leadership exert impact on teacher learning. To this end, survey data collected from 1340 junior high school teachers in Taiwan were analysed with structural equation modelling. The results suggest that both principal leadership and teacher leadership affect teacher learning through direct pathways, and that of teachers exhibits an even greater impact. In addition, principal leadership affects teacher learning through indirect pathways mediated by teacher leadership. By further investigating the mediating effects of different practices of teacher leadership, we found that teacher-led improvement of curriculum and instruction is a critical mediator for teacher learning.

Utilizing the job demand-resource theoretical framework, this study expands on previous research by examining the role of teacher workloads in the relationship between teachers’ resources and teacher well-being. The study used data from Taiwanese lower secondary school teachers in the TALIS 2018 survey and conducted a structural equation modeling analysis. The results showed that teacher training preparedness had a direct positive effect on well-being and an indirect effect that was mediated by teaching and student behavior workloads. On the other hand, teachers’ perceived autonomy did not have a direct impact on well-being but was indirectly related to well-being through the teaching workload. Additionally, the study found that teaching and student behavior workloads were negatively associated with well-being. By incorporating workload as a mediator, this study offers new insights into the complex relationship between job demands, resources, and well-being in the teaching profession.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to discuss how principals in Taiwan lead student and teacher learning at a time of leadership and learning paradigm shifts and the imminent implementation of the curriculum guideline for 12-year basic education. Design/methodology/approach: This study interviewed 32 elementary and junior high school principals purposively sampled based on reputation and recommendation from senior principals and government officials. Findings: As a society which values credentialism, principals in Taiwan face challenges in executing the vision of educating student as a whole person. The authors discuss how principals are solidifying whole person education as the espoused value, how they are enforcing school-based curriculum and effective instruction, and encouraging teacher professional learning. Principals are sharing power by recruiting stakeholders’ participation in guiding school development and enacting distributed leadership, while also building relationship as social capital and soliciting support from the community to establish the conditions to improve teaching and learning. Research limitations/implications: This paper highlights how principal practices are evolving in a time of changing conception of learning from academic achievement to multiple competencies and the shifting paradigm of power from participatory decision making to distributed leadership. This paper ends with a discussion on how leadership for learning (LfL) as a community engagement has emerged. Practical implications: With the shifting of the concept and paradigm of learning, principals in a high power distance society like Taiwan are now facing opportunities as well as challenges to lead teachers to engaging students in inquiry and collaboration. Originality/value: This paper highlights the indigenous practices of principal LfL in a high-performing East Asian education system in a time of changing notions of learning and leadership.

Purpose: – The purpose of this paper is to examine how instructional leadership, a concept imported from Western scholarship, has been conceptualized in the Taiwanese context and how principal instructional leadership is realized in schools. The development trajectory of principal instructional leadership is delineated by examining empirical studies in the past two decades.Design/methodology/approach: – This paper adopts an exploratory approach to review the Taiwanese empirical literature on principal instructional leadership. A total of 80 studies were systematically analyzed and common themes were identified.Findings: – This paper finds that a hybrid model of the conceptualization of instructional leadership has been developed in Taiwan. Principals performed more indirect than direct leadership behaviors. A gap exists between the ideal instructional leader and the reality.Research limitations/implications: – The development of a formal theory of instructional leadership is expected as various substantive theories are developed and more data are accumulated. To yield the desired outcome of knowledge acceleration, the coordination of research efforts across scholars and institutions is a must.Practical implications: – The articles reviewed suggest less effort spent by principals on the teachers. Yet with a national promotion of teacher learning community, as well as cooperative and collaborative learning in recent years, principal instructional leadership behaviors are expected to rise in terms of ensuring instruction quality and professional development.Originality/value: – This paper is an attempt to accumulate knowledge about principal instructional leadership in Taiwan. It is a contribution to the exploration of indigenous perspectives and practices and the understanding and building of educational leadership in Asia.