Strategic leadership behaviours in Chinese schools : a Rasch model analysis

Abstract

This study examines the strategic leadership behaviours of secondary school principals in China, where centralized governance and cultural traditions shape leadership practices. Drawing on a cross-sectional survey of 895 principals, this research adopts Pisapia’s theory of strategic leadership, which delineates five core leadership influence actions, transforming, managing, bonding, bridging, and bartering, to investigate how school leaders navigate complex educational challenges. Using the Strategic Leadership Questionnaire (SLQ) and applying the Rasch Measurement Model, this study provides a rigorous psychometric evaluation of these leadership behaviours. Findings reveal that transforming, bonding, and bartering emerge as the most dominant behaviours, highlighting the importance of proactive change, relationship-building, and negotiation in school leadership. Conversely, managing and bridging behaviours were less frequently observed, suggesting a shift away from traditional hierarchical administration towards adaptive leadership strategies emphasizing operational stability and stakeholder engagement. This study advances existing scholarship by addressing geographical and methodological gaps. While prior research in China has predominantly focused on instructional leadership, this study systematically measures strategic leadership behaviours through Rasch-based psychometric validation. The findings offer new insights into culturally responsive leadership practices and provide evidence-based recommendations to improve leadership assessments, thereby strengthening the global discourse on effective school leadership in diverse educational contexts.