Reflections on the role of indigenous principals of Taiwan: The pendulum of ancestral souls and modern standards

The purpose of this qualitative study is to present and shape successful indigenousschool principal leadership in Taiwan. We focus particularly on a principal’s attitudes to change, how this influences principal leadership practice and ultimately its contribution to improving school performance. The study captures and analyzes opinions of the stakeholders of an indigenous school on principal leadership to understand how the principal leads the school to successful transformation. The results show that indigenous principal leadership emphasizes harmonious collective relationships, equality of power, spiritual satisfaction and collectivism. The ancestral soul is especially rooted in the principal’s philosophy and values, such that the principal makes good use of the blood ties between schools and tribes, and creates a community of a shared future, facing difficulties together. The findings contribute to the body of knowledge on shaping successful indigenous school principal leadership, which transforms the internal and external environmental factors into the forces for successful school change and benefits the stakeholders.