Principals’ Use of Leadership Metaphors in Three Urban Junior High Schools in Taiwan

Abstract

Principals utilize leadership metaphors to guide teachers in implementing educational, curriculum, and institutional/structural change. This study explores how principals employ metaphors to drive school change and presents a two-year qualitative case study of three urban junior high schools in Taiwan. During the first year, the researcher observed and participated in school meetings, collecting documents and data from the perspectives of principals, teachers, and parents. In the subsequent year, in-depth interviews were conducted with three principals. The findings demonstrate that principals who incorporate metaphors into their collective sense-making processes in leadership can facilitate social change and foster innovation in education.