Abstract

This study examined the factors and strategies for enhancing the informationization leadership of administrators in private art universities in Hebei Province, People’s Republic of China, under the digital era. The objectives were: (1) to identify and develop factors and indicators of informationization leadership, (2) to validate the structural relationship model of informationization leadership using empirical data, and (3) to formulate strategies for its enhancement. The research was conducted in three phases. In Phase 1, factors of administrators’ informationization leadership were explored through literature analysis and a focus group discussion with five experts from Dalian Neusoft University of Information, resulting in the verification of the factors. Phase 2 validated the structural relationship model using empirical data from 340 respondents, selected through stratified random sampling. Data were collected via questionnaires with a reliability coefficient of 0.941 and analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). In Phase 3, strategies were developed based on the model’s analytical results, with input from nine stakeholders from Hebei Academy of Fine Arts and Hebei Institute of Communications through semi-structured interviews. The strategies were evaluated by nine experts in terms of accuracy, propriety, feasibility, and utility. The findings revealed that: (1) informationization leadership of administrators comprised four factors and 17 indicators—Informationization Vision Cultivation, Informationization Professional Practice, Informationization Systemic Improvement, and Digital Citizenship Demonstration; (2) the structural relationship model showed a good fit with empirical data (Chi-square = 59.72, df = 79, p = 0.95, RMSEA = 0.00); and (3) 18 enhancement strategies were developed, all rated at a high level of accuracy, propriety, feasibility, and utility.

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