LAUSR

ABSTRACT The purpose of this article is to understand the relationship between transformational leadership and collective teacher efficacy in the Chinese primary school context using quantitative research methods. This article also examines the transferability of transformational leadership and its effects in a high power distance culture. The main research question is, ‘To what extent can transformational leadership explain the variance in collective teacher efficacy in Chinese primary schools?’ The results of path analysis show that managing the instructional program has a significant effect on group competence (a dimension of collective efficacy) and that setting direction affects another dimension of collective efficacy, task analysis. When collective teacher efficacy is treated as a single variable, setting direction and managing the instructional program have relatively significant effects on collective teacher efficacy. This study adds to the literature on the relationship between transformational leadership and collective teacher efficacy in the Chinese primary school context. It advances knowledge of educational management and facilitates the understanding of cross-cultural leadership phenomena.