Presentation Schedule
Anticipating Change in Primary Education: A Qualitative Typology of Foresight-Oriented Leadership Among Taiwanese School Principals (107063)
Session Chair: YuehChun Huang
Monday, 11 May 2026 15:30
Session: Session 4
Room: Room G407 (4F)
Presentation Type: Oral Presentation
In contemporary primary education, school principals are increasingly required to lead under conditions of uncertainty shaped by demographic change, technological advancement, and evolving societal expectations. This study explores how foresight-oriented leadership is understood and enacted by primary school principals in Taiwan, with particular attention to how leaders anticipate future challenges and translate foresight into strategic and organizational action. Adopting a qualitative research design, semi-structured interviews were conducted with four purposefully selected principals from diverse school contexts. Data were analyzed through thematic coding and cross-case comparison to identify patterns of foresight-oriented leadership.
The findings identify four distinct but non-hierarchical leadership patterns: Framers, who emphasize long-term visioning and strategic direction; Adapters, who demonstrate flexibility and responsiveness to emerging challenges; Testers, who actively experiment with innovative practices; and Reactors, who cautiously integrate change while maintaining institutional stability and traditions. Rather than relying on a single leadership approach, effective foresight-oriented leadership appears to emerge through a context-sensitive combination of these patterns.
The study concludes that foresight-oriented leadership should be understood as a developmental and situated capacity rather than a fixed trait. Based on these insights, several practical suggestions are offered. Leadership preparation and professional development programs should explicitly incorporate foresight-related competencies, including future scanning, strategic imagination, and adaptive decision-making. In addition, policy frameworks should provide principals with sufficient flexibility to support innovation while ensuring accountability. Finally, professional learning networks may facilitate collective sense-making and the sharing of foresight practices among school leaders.
Authors:
Rujer Wang, National Taichung University of Education, Taiwan
About the Presenter(s)
Professor Rujer Wang is a University Administration at National Taichung University of Education in Taiwan
See this presentation on the full schedule – Monday Schedule
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