Examining principal instructional leadership effects on the rural-urban instructional quality gap in China: The mechanism of teacher professional learning

With a sample of 2274 teachers from 181 lower-secondary schools in China, this study examined the principal instructional leadership effects on the rural-urban instructional quality gap, with a particular inquiry into the mechanism of teacher professional learning. The results show that there were significant gaps in three aspects of instructional quality (i.e., supportive climate, effective management, and cognitive activation) between rural and urban schools. Principal instructional leadership had significant total mediating effects on the rural-urban instructional disparities; however, its effects on the disparities between rural and urban teachers’ cognitive activation were partially suppressed. Particularly, the mechanism of teacher professional learning was identified through which principal instructional leadership explained the rural-urban instructional disparities. Research implications are also discussed.