Educator-Principal and School Culture: A Case Study Analysis

DOI: https://doi.org/10.62517/jmsd.202512305

Author(s)

Liting Yang, Yeshu Lin

Affiliation(s)

School of Education Science, Zhaoqing University, Zhaoqing, Guangdong, China

Abstract

This article examines the interactive relationship between educator-principals and school culture construction. Through case analysis, it explores how principal leadership shapes school culture. Educator-principals play dual roles as cultural leaders and agents of change. Their core characteristics include firm educational beliefs, innovative thinking, and outstanding leadership, enabling them to advance school culture through value guidance, behavioral modeling, and institutional innovation. The study takes Principal Wan Yuxia of Wuhan Changqingshu Experimental School as a representative case, analyzing her practice centered on "life development education." By establishing a "dual-subject" moral education model, developing student-centered classrooms, and building a teaching staff system known as the "Eagle-Goose Team," she integrates care for life into the material environment, institutional design, and behavioral culture, thereby forming a distinctive system of holistic education. Research shows that the cultural leadership of educator-principals significantly enhances school educational quality, promotes comprehensive student development, and strengthens school cohesion. The case highlights the need in future education to emphasize the integration of cultural inheritance and innovation, reinforce mechanisms for collaborative campus culture creation by both teachers and students, and balance the promotion of traditional culture with contemporary relevance. This study further recommends deepening long-term tracking and cross-case comparisons to identify broader patterns in how educator-principals contribute to school culture construction.

Keywords

Educator-Principal; School Culture; Case Study; Leadership; Cultural Development

References

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