Leadership Practices of Selected Middle Management Teachers in Kindergartens: Implications for Leadership Training Program

Abstract

This research explores kindergarten middle management teachers' leadership practices in Luoyang City, China, and considers if demographic factors affect assessments of these practices. In acknowledgment of the growing importance of leadership at all levels within institutions of early childhood education, research explores how middle management teachers link to educational quality and operational efficiency. Although having a central role in guiding teachers, coordinating administrative work, and implementing policies, this group is underemphasized in leadership studies. With a quantitative descriptive correlational design, information was gathered from 166 middle management educators through a systematic questionnaire in relation to six leadership styles: school direction, team responsibility, theory-to-practice implementation, rights and climate, awareness of environment, and performance analysis. Mann-Whitney U and Chi-square tests were used in analyzing the data. The findings indicated that participants obtained high average ratings in all leadership aspects, with the highest mean (4.55) being for compliance with educational policies. Nevertheless, categories such as setting strategic goals and applying theory practically had somewhat lower ratings. There were no differences in leadership assessments by gender, age, occupational position, or level of education. These results suggest that leadership potential in this group is influenced more by organizational norms than by personal demographic characteristics. The research indicates that leadership education training programs of the future need to emphasize higher-level leadership skills, especially on collaborative goal-setting and practiced innovation. This study provides important directions for inclusive and pinpointed professional growth planning that can improve leadership effectiveness in early childhood education.