The Role of Middle Leaders in Implementing Curriculum Reforms in Chinese Schools

Abstract

This study investigates the pivotal role of middle leaders in implementing ongoing curriculum reforms within primary and secondary schools in Mainland China. While global educational reforms increasingly emphasize comprehensive student development, the practical enactment of these policies at the school level, particularly through the lens of middle leadership, remains underexplored in the Chinese context. This research aimed to explore middle leaders' perceptions of their roles and responsibilities, identify the challenges they face, and analyze the specific leadership practices they employ to facilitate curriculum change. Adopting a quantitative, cross-sectional survey design, data were collected from a sample of 850 middle leaders across various Chinese schools. The findings reveal that middle leaders perceive their roles as crucial in translating policy into practice, though they frequently encounter significant challenges such as time constraints and conflicting pressures from examination-oriented cultures. A multiple linear regression analysis demonstrated that specific leadership practices significantly predict the perceived effectiveness of reform implementation. Instructional guidance and professional development facilitation emerged as the strongest positive predictors, followed by effective communication with teachers, strategic resource management, and consistent mentoring and coaching. These results underscore that middle leaders are indispensable instructional and supportive agents whose multifaceted practices are instrumental in driving successful curriculum change. The study offers valuable implications for policymakers and school administrators to enhance support for middle leaders, thereby strengthening curriculum reform efforts in China.