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This article presents the results of an interpretive policy analysis of China's Ministry of Education Standards (2013) for the professional practice of principals. In addition to revealing the evolution of the evaluation of principals in China and the processes by which this policy is formulated, a comparative analysis was conducted to compare it with the Interstate School Leaders Licensure Standards 2008 (ISLLC 2008). The analysis was conducted on the specific standards and indicators across the two documents. The results indicate the presence of both significant similarities and differences in performance expectations for principals: differences are explained by the cultural and national contexts within which school leaders work in both countries. In February 2013 the Ministry of Education in China issued for the first time the national Professional Standards for Compulsory Education School Principals, which provide the specific expectations of quality school leadership. The unprecedented interest in international benchmarking of student academic performance has led to the belief that there are common elements in education policy and school leadership practices. It is hoped that this research sheds new light onto the current thinking on the expectations and evaluation of principal leadership.

This study investigated effective teaching factors and student reading strategies as predictors of student reading achievement in the United States and China. Participants were 10,348 students in the 2009 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) study, 5115 from China and 5233 from the United States. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) revealed 22 effective instructional indicators in a four-factor structure in the two countries: "morality," "environment," "strategies," and "stimulation." The results from hierarchical multiple regression (HMR) indicated that both effective instructional factors and student reading strategies predicted student reading achievement in the United States and China. In particular, "morality" and "stimulation" were significant for the Chinese sample and not significant for the US sample. "Environment" and "strategy" were significant for both countries. "Text-summarize" was not significant for both countries. "Text-discuss content" was not significant for the Chinese sample and significant for the US sample. "Text-underline" and "summary-check paragraph" were significant for the US sample only. "Summary-write own words" was significant for the Chinese sample only. These results were explained from both economic and cultural perspectives. The high-speed economic development in China affected teachers' beliefs and values about education. From cultural perspectives, some results may have been caused by cultural uniqueness. A typical example was Chinese teachers not advocating "text-discuss content" associated with Confucian beliefs of learning while the US teachers perceived this as important since they were nurtured in the Western culture. This study also proposed a notion of "cultural free factors" related to teaching and learning that may be important for culture studies.

Two research questions guided this study of teacher selection: (a) What characteristics do Chinese principals look for when hiring teachers? And (b) what is the effect of participants' gender, experience, or school location on perceived characteristics of effective teacher candidates in hiring? Both interviews and a questionnaire survey were used to collect data from a southwest city of Shandong Province, China. In this mixed design study, quantitative results were consistent with the qualitative results. Additionally, the study results are intended to help readers better understand school principals' perceived characteristics of effective teachers in a Chinese context and provides a framework for future comparative research between China and the USA.

The aims of this study were to examine the factor structure of the attitudinal questionnaire items from Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2003 and to investigate low- and high-performing students' mathematics self-concept in East Asian societies and in the USA. The participants were 24,119 eighth-graders, 4856 from Japan, 4972 from Hong Kong, 5379 from Taiwan and 8912 from the USA. Exploratory factor analyses (EFAs) were conducted revealing a same factor structure across the four societies. The MANOVA results showed that (1) the US students reported a statistically significant higher mathematics self-concept than students in Hong Kong, Taiwan, or Japan; (2) across the four societies, high-performing students had statistically significant higher self-concept than low-performing students; and (3) the US low-performing students' self-concept was higher than Japanese high-performing students' self-concept. The implications of these findings are discussed. (Contains 8 tables.)

Since the 1920's many researchers have conducted studies exploring the qualities of good teachers. However, a limited number of empirical studies have been conducted in the People's Republic of China (hereafter called China). The current study has two objectives. The first one aims to compare a good teacher's characteristics in China and the USA. To achieve this, qualitative data of a good teacher's characteristics were collected in China. The results obtained from China were then compared to those reported in the USA. The second objective was to test whether or not there are differences among teachers', students' and parents' perceptions of a good teacher's characteristics in China. To achieve this, questionnaires were administered, and then statistical analyses were conducted. The qualitative data analyses have revealed four themes about the characteristics of good Chinese teachers: Teacher ethics, professional skills, professional development, and students' test scores. The ANOVAs have found no differences among teachers', students' and parents' perceptions of the qualities of good teachers in China on most of the items. This study helps readers better understand good teachers in a Chinese context and provides a framework for future comparative study between China and the USA regarding the qualities of good teachers.

This study investigated effective teaching factors and student reading strategies as predictors of student reading achievement in the United States and China. Participants were 10,348 students in the 2009 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) study, 5115 from China and 5233 from the United States. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) revealed 22 effective instructional indicators in a four-factor structure in the two countries: morality, environment, strategies, and stimulation. The results from hierarchical multiple regression (HMR) indicated that both effective instructional factors and student reading strategies predicted student reading achievement in the United States and China. In particular, morality and stimulation were significant for the Chinese sample and not significant for the US sample. Environment and strategy were significant for both countries. Text-summarize was not significant for both countries. Text-discuss content was not significant for the Chinese sample and significant for the US sample. Text-underline and summary-check paragraph were significant for the US sample only. Summary-write own words was significant for the Chinese sample only. These results were explained from both economic and cultural perspectives. The high-speed economic development in China affected teachers' beliefs and values about education. From cultural perspectives, some results may have been caused by cultural uniqueness. A typical example was Chinese teachers not advocating text-discuss content associated with Confucian beliefs of learning while the US teachers perceived this as important since they were nurtured in the Western culture. This study also proposed a notion of "cultural free factors" related to teaching and learning that may be important for culture studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aims of this study were to examine the factor structure of the attitudinal questionnaire items from Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2003 and to investigate low- and high-performing students' mathematics self-concept in East Asian societies and in the USA. The participants were 24,119 eighth-graders, 4856 from Japan, 4972 from Hong Kong, 5379 from Taiwan and 8912 from the USA. Exploratory factor analyses (EFAs) were conducted revealing a same factor structure across the four societies. The MANOVA results showed that (1) the US students reported a statistically significant higher mathematics self-concept than students in Hong Kong, Taiwan, or Japan; (2) across the four societies, high-performing students had statistically significant higher self-concept than low-performing students; and (3) the US low-performing students' self-concept was higher than Japanese high-performing students' self-concept. The implications of these findings are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the 1920’s many researchers have conducted studies exploring the qualities of good teachers. However, a limited number of empirical studies have been conducted in the People’s Republic of China (hereafter called China). The current study has two objectives. The first one aims to compare a good teacher’s characteristics in China and the USA. To achieve this, qualitative data of a good teacher’s characteristics were collected in China. The results obtained from China were then compared to those reported in the USA. The second objective was to test whether or not there are differences among teachers’, students’ and parents’ perceptions of a good teacher’s characteristics in China. To achieve this, questionnaires were administered, and then statistical analyses were conducted. The qualitative data analyses have revealed four themes about the characteristics of good Chinese teachers: Teacher ethics, professional skills, professional development, and students’ test scores. The ANOVAs have found no differences among teachers’, students’ and parents’ perceptions of the qualities of good teachers in China on most of the items. This study helps readers better understand good teachers in a Chinese context and provides a framework for future comparative study between China and the USA regarding the qualities of good teachers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]