<?xml version="1.1" encoding="utf-8"?>
<article xsi:noNamespaceSchemaLocation="http://jats.nlm.nih.gov/publishing/1.1/xsd/JATS-journalpublishing1-mathml3.xsd" dtd-version="1.1" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"><front><journal-meta><journal-id journal-id-type="publisher-id">IEF</journal-id><journal-title-group><journal-title>International Education Forum</journal-title></journal-title-group><issn>3083-4902</issn><eissn>2981-8605</eissn><publisher><publisher-name>Bio-Byword Scientific Publishing Pty. Ltd.</publisher-name></publisher></journal-meta><article-meta><article-id pub-id-type="doi">10.26689/ief.v2i1.6688</article-id><article-categories><subj-group subj-group-type="heading"><subject>Article</subject></subj-group></article-categories><title>A Critical Investigation into Transformational Leadership and Its Relevance to Universities in China</title><url>https://artdesignp.com/journal/IEF/2/1/10.26689/ief.v2i1.6688</url><author>WangShenyue</author><pub-date pub-type="publication-year"><year>2024</year></pub-date><volume>2</volume><issue>1</issue><history><date date-type="pub"><published-time>2024-02-27</published-time></date></history><abstract>At present, transformation and innovation have become an important topic for the development of schools. Transformational leadership is a significant driving force in school reform and development. The management of Chinese universities has to transform to adapt to the rapidly changing social environment. This paper focuses on the intention and effectiveness of transformational leadership, and how it can be applied to improving the school management of Chinese universities. Firstly, the paper discusses the concept and main dimensions of transformational leadership. Secondly, the role of transformational leadership in the school is analyzed from three aspects, which are students, teachers, and school organization. Next, the paper discusses the limitations of transformational leadership. Subsequently, the paper shows the current situation and main problems of the school management of Chinese universities. Lastly, the paper gives suggestions to school management of Chinese universities in the light of transformational leadership based on previous studies.</abstract><keywords/></article-meta></front><body/><back><ref-list><ref id="B1" content-type="article"><label>1</label><element-citation publication-type="journal"><p>Hallinger P, 2003, Leading Educational Change: Reflections on the Practice of Instructional and Transformational Leadership. Cambridge Journal of Education, 33(3): 329–352.</p><pub-id pub-id-type="doi"/></element-citation></ref><ref id="B2" content-type="article"><label>2</label><element-citation publication-type="journal"><p>Nedelcu A, 2013, Transformational Approach to School Leadership: Contribution to Continued Improvement of Education. Manager, 2013(17): 237–244.</p><pub-id pub-id-type="doi"/></element-citation></ref><ref id="B3" content-type="article"><label>3</label><element-citation publication-type="journal"><p>Leithwood K, Jantzi D, 2005, A Review of Transformational School Leadership Research 1996–2005. Leadership and Policy in Schools, 4(3): 177–199.</p><pub-id pub-id-type="doi"/></element-citation></ref><ref id="B4" content-type="article"><label>4</label><element-citation publication-type="journal"><p>Burns JM, 1978, Leadership, Harper &amp; Row, New York, 181.</p><pub-id pub-id-type="doi"/></element-citation></ref><ref id="B5" content-type="article"><label>5</label><element-citation publication-type="journal"><p>Anderson M, 2017, Transformational Leadership in Education: A Review of Existing Literature. International Social Science Review, 93(1): 4.</p><pub-id pub-id-type="doi"/></element-citation></ref><ref id="B6" content-type="article"><label>6</label><element-citation publication-type="journal"><p>Bass BM, Avolio BJ, (eds.), 1994, Improving Organizational Effectiveness Through Transformational Leadership, Sage Publications, New York.</p><pub-id pub-id-type="doi"/></element-citation></ref><ref id="B7" content-type="article"><label>7</label><element-citation publication-type="journal"><p>Leithwood K, Jantzi D, Steinbach R, 1999, Changing Leadership for Changing Times, McGraw-Hill Education, UK.</p><pub-id pub-id-type="doi"/></element-citation></ref><ref id="B8" content-type="article"><label>8</label><element-citation publication-type="journal"><p>Bolkan S, Goodboy AK, 2009, Transformational Leadership in the Classroom: Fostering Student Learning, Student Participation, and Teacher Credibility. Journal of Instructional Psychology, 36(4): 296–306.</p><pub-id pub-id-type="doi"/></element-citation></ref><ref id="B9" content-type="article"><label>9</label><element-citation publication-type="journal"><p>Sun J, Leithwood K, 2012, Transformational School Leadership Effects on Student Achievement. Leadership and Policy in Schools, 11(4): 418–451.</p><pub-id pub-id-type="doi"/></element-citation></ref><ref id="B10" content-type="article"><label>10</label><element-citation publication-type="journal"><p>Lv Y, 2017, Research on the Impact of Principal Leadership on Students’ Academic Performance in American Academia. Foreign Elementary and Secondary Education, 2017(3): 44–49.</p><pub-id pub-id-type="doi"/></element-citation></ref><ref id="B11" content-type="article"><label>11</label><element-citation publication-type="journal"><p>Leithwood K, Tomlinson D, Genge M, 1996, Transformational School Leadership, in International Handbook of Educational Leadership and Administration, Springer, Dordrecht, 785–840.</p><pub-id pub-id-type="doi"/></element-citation></ref><ref id="B12" content-type="article"><label>12</label><element-citation publication-type="journal"><p>Raman A, Cheah HM, Don Y, et al., 2015, Relationship Between Principals’ Transformational Leadership Style and Secondary School Teachers’ Commitment. Asian Social Science, 11(15): 221–228.</p><pub-id pub-id-type="doi"/></element-citation></ref><ref id="B13" content-type="article"><label>13</label><element-citation publication-type="journal"><p>Jiang R, Li D, 2017, Review and Prospect of Research on Transformational Leadership in Western Schools. Foreign Educational Research, 44(8): 76–89.</p><pub-id pub-id-type="doi"/></element-citation></ref><ref id="B14" content-type="article"><label>14</label><element-citation publication-type="journal"><p>Zhao Q, Xi R, 2018, The Transformation of Principals’ Leadership: The Impact of Transformational and Transactional Leadership on Teachers’ Job Satisfaction. Educational Journal of Renmin University of China, 2018(2): 5.</p><pub-id pub-id-type="doi"/></element-citation></ref><ref id="B15" content-type="article"><label>15</label><element-citation publication-type="journal"><p>McCarley TA, Peters ML, Decman JM, 2016, Transformational Leadership Related to School Climate: A Multi-Level Analysis. Educational Management Administration &amp; Leadership, 44(2): 322–342.</p><pub-id pub-id-type="doi"/></element-citation></ref><ref id="B16" content-type="article"><label>16</label><element-citation publication-type="journal"><p>Manshadi MD, Ebrahimi FP, Abdi HM, 2014, A Study of the Relationship Between Transformational Leadership and Organizational Learning. European Journal of Experimental Biology, 4(1): 12–20.</p><pub-id pub-id-type="doi"/></element-citation></ref><ref id="B17" content-type="article"><label>17</label><element-citation publication-type="journal"><p>Yukl G, 1999, An Evaluation of Conceptual Weaknesses in Transformational and Charismatic Leadership Theories. The Leadership Quarterly, 10(2): 285–305.</p><pub-id pub-id-type="doi"/></element-citation></ref><ref id="B18" content-type="article"><label>18</label><element-citation publication-type="journal"><p>Meindl JR, Ehrlich SB, Dukerich JM, 1985, The Romance of Leadership. Administrative Science Quarterly, 30(1): 78–102.</p><pub-id pub-id-type="doi"/></element-citation></ref><ref id="B19" content-type="article"><label>19</label><element-citation publication-type="journal"><p>Jiang J, 2008, An Analysis of the Role Conflict of Principals in School Transformation. Journal of Modern Education, 2008(6): 9–14.</p><pub-id pub-id-type="doi"/></element-citation></ref><ref id="B20" content-type="article"><label>20</label><element-citation publication-type="journal"><p>Xuan Y, Zhong W, 2017, Theoretical Construction of the Management Specialization of Chinese University Presidents Based on the Improvement of Governance Ability. Educational Research, 38(10): 52–58.</p><pub-id pub-id-type="doi"/></element-citation></ref><ref id="B21" content-type="article"><label>21</label><element-citation publication-type="journal"><p>Chai DS, Hwang SJ, Joo BK, 2017, Transformational Leadership and Organizational Commitment in Teams: The Mediating Roles of Shared Vision and Team-Goal Commitment. Performance Improvement Quarterly, 30(2): 137–158.</p><pub-id pub-id-type="doi"/></element-citation></ref><ref id="B22" content-type="article"><label>22</label><element-citation publication-type="journal"><p>Lucas SE, Valentine JW, 2002, Transformational Leadership: Principals, Leadership Teams, and School Culture, Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, April 1–5, 2002, New Orleans, LA.</p><pub-id pub-id-type="doi"/></element-citation></ref><ref id="B23" content-type="article"><label>23</label><element-citation publication-type="journal"><p>Hartnell CA, Walumbwa FO, 2011, Transformational Leadership and Organizational Culture: Toward Integrating a Multilevel Framework, in Ashkanasy NM, Wilderom CP, Peterson MF, (eds.), Handbook of Organizational Culture and Climate, Volume 2, Sage, London, 225–248.</p><pub-id pub-id-type="doi"/></element-citation></ref><ref id="B24" content-type="article"><label>24</label><element-citation publication-type="journal"><p>Wang Z, Sun J, Zhao Y, 2012, Leadership Effectiveness in the Chinese Organizational Context: A Meta-Analysis of Transformational Leadership, Leader-Subordinate Exchange, and Destructive Leadership. Advances in Psychological Science, 20(2): 174–190.</p><pub-id pub-id-type="doi"/></element-citation></ref><ref id="B25" content-type="article"><label>25</label><element-citation publication-type="journal"><p>Robinson VM, Lloyd CA, Rowe KJ, 2008, The Impact of Leadership on Student Outcomes: An Analysis of the Differential Effects of Leadership Types. Educational Administration Quarterly, 44(5): 635–674.</p><pub-id pub-id-type="doi"/></element-citation></ref></ref-list></back></article>
