From Compliance to Cultivation
How Principals’ Values Shape Communities of Practice for Inclusion in Market-Driven Kindergartens
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22048246 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Rohnii Tse (0009-0001-5825-9854, Yew Chung College of Early Childhood Education, Hong Kong, China, corresponding author), Joseph Mintz (0000-0001-7622-9248, University College London) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 15 |
| Issue | 12 |
| Pages | 1607 |
| Publication date | 2025-11-28 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Education Sciences (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2227-7102 • E-ISSN: 2227-7102 |
| Publisher | MDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT) |
| DOI | 10.3390/educsci15121607 |
| OpenAlex | W4416785634 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 23 |
Leadership plays a decisive role in shaping inclusive cultures in early childhood education, yet its influence operates through complex social mechanisms beyond formal policy implementation. This qualitative case study applies Communities of Practice (CoP) theory to examine how leadership values shape the practices, relationships and collaborative dynamics of two kindergartens in a competitive, market-driven system. Through the CoP lens, we demonstrate how values-based leadership mediates between policy frameworks and actual inclusive practice. Our findings illuminate how leadership influence flows through community sponsorship, shapes professional identities, and either enables or constrains collaboration across professional boundaries. The study reveals significant contrasts between leadership focused on policy compliance and leadership that cultivates inclusive communities through ‘principled pragmatism’. It demonstrates how leaders navigate tensions between market pressures and inclusive values, contributing to understanding how CoP theory illuminates leadership processes that sustain inclusive communities through cultivation rather than individual competencies alone
Critical theory · Educational leadership · Leadership · Leadership style · Qualitative research · Shared leadership · Children's Rights and Participation · Early Childhood Education and Development · Teacher Education and Leadership Studies
Critiquing theories of learning and communities of practice
The Irregular School
Communities of Practice
Evolution of Wenger's concept of community of practice
Making Education for All inclusive
What counts as evidence of inclusive education?
Ethnography Versus Case Study ‐ Positioning Research and Researchers
Developing inclusive education systems
A community of practice as an inclusive model to support children with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties in school contexts
Drawing a veil over managerialism
Using thematic analysis in psychology
The Place of Inter-Rater Reliability in Qualitative Research
| Highly cited | No |
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