Principal's post-observation conversations in China: Exploring interpersonal effectiveness through a theory of action lens

Principals internationally are increasingly expected to lead instructional improvement. In China, national policies require principals to conduct classroom observations and provide post-observation conversations (POCs) to teachers. While principals’ interpersonal effectiveness is widely recognized as crucial for successful POCs, they often struggle to address instructional concerns while maintaining positive relationships ( Adams and Adigun, 2024 ; Le Fevre et al., 2015 ). However, few studies have examined how Chinese principals’ relational capacities influence the conduct and effectiveness of POCs. Guided by the Theory of Action framework, this qualitative study explored principals’ POC approaches, the constraints shaping these approaches, and their implications, drawing on data from four schools in an urban region of China. Findings revealed that principals tended to control the identification and resolution of observed problems rather than collaboratively coconstruct valid information with teachers, leading to misunderstandings and limited improvement. The study contributes to the international literature by explaining the challenge of interpersonal ineffectiveness in schools in China and demonstrating how cultural values may shape school principals’ interpersonal reasoning and behaviours.