THE DEVELOPMENT OF A LEADERSHIP COMPETENCY MODEL TO ENHANCE CHINESE VOCABULARY TEACHING AT CONFUCIUS INSTITUTES IN KENYA

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to develop a leadership competency model to enhance Chinese vocabulary teaching at Confucius Institutes in Kenya. The objectives of this study were: 1) to explore the factors affecting the leadership competency of teachers; 2) to determine the levels of leadership competency of Chinese vocabulary teachers in Kenya; 3) to test the practical effect of sound change law in Chinese vocabulary teaching; and 4) to develop and verify a leadership model to improve the teaching effect of Chinese vocabulary at Confucius Institutes in Kenya. There were 308 students from the Confucius Institutes at the University of Nairobi and Kenyatta University who participated in the study. The data was analyzed through content analysis, descriptive statistics, and a paired samples t-test. The results of the survey showed that the supportive leadership approach (M = 4.32, SD = 0.46) was the style mainly used by Chinese language teachers. The results of the paired samples t-test indicated that the Chinese vocabulary test scores of thirty students after they received instruction on the sound change law was significantly higher than before they received instruction on the sound change law. The results of the paired samples t-test of competency indicated that the score of five expert teachers after they received leadership competency training was significantly higher than before they received the training. Therefore, the effectiveness of Chinese vocabulary teaching at the Confucius Institutes in Kenya can be enhanced by improving the leadership competency of teachers.