The relationship between school leadership and professional learning communities in Thai basic education schools

2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 157-175 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kanokorn Somprach ◽  
Keow Ngang Tang ◽  
Pongtorn Popoonsak
Keyword(s):  
Professional Learning Communities ◽  
Learning Communities ◽  
School Leadership ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
Basic Education ◽  
The Relationship

scholarly journals A case study of two teacher learning communities in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Free-Queen Bongiwe Zulu ◽  
Tabitha Grace Mukeredzi
Keyword(s):  
Professional Learning Communities ◽  
Learning Communities ◽  
Learning Community ◽  
Teacher Learning ◽  
South African ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
Basic Education ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Education And Development ◽  
Teacher Learning Communities

In the Integrated Strategic Planning Framework for Teacher Education and Development, a South African policy, the Department of Basic Education (DBE) and the Department of Higher Education (DHET) call for the formation of professional learning communities and envisage support for teachers and access to enhanced professional development opportunities at the local level. However, the formation and operation of professional learning communities in a South African context is still unclear. In this article we use the concept of professional learning communities to examine the extent to which 2 teacher learning communities operate as professional learning communities. We used interviews, observations, survey questionnaires and document analysis to generate data. The findings of the study reveal that the 2 teacher learning communities were initiated by the DBE and not by teachers. However, the size of 1 teacher learning community and the nature of its functioning seemed to adhere to the characteristics of a professional learning community while the other did not. The findings indicate that professional learning communities that operate in developing contexts might be functional when all the stakeholders play a meaningful role in supporting professional learning communities.

Making meaning out of noise

2017 ◽  
Vol 47 (4) ◽  
pp. 506-521 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jorge Cegarra-Sánchez ◽  
Juan-Gabriel Cegarra-Navarro
Keyword(s):  
Student Achievement ◽  
Professional Learning Communities ◽  
Empirical Study ◽  
Learning Communities ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Making Meaning ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The environments provided by classrooms to facilitate learning among students can be seen as useful vehicles for making meaning out of gossip, lies, exaggeration and partial truths (i.e. counter-knowledge). This paper aims to focus on professional learning communities as a process to counteract the problem of counter-knowledge. Design/methodology/approach This paper has analysed the relationships between professional-learning communities and counter-knowledge using an empirical study of 210 undergraduate students to identify whether there is a significant impact on student achievement by professional learning communities. This study uses PLS-Graph software version 3.0 to conduct an analysis of the data collected. Findings Outcome findings support that professional learning communities provide a way of counteracting counter-knowledge and the noise heard through gossip, lies, exaggeration and partial truths. Originality/value Results also confirm that counter-knowledge is a variable that, when controlled, has the effect of strengthening the relationship between learning and student achievement.

scholarly journals Unpacking the Relationship Between Teachers’ Perceptions of Professional Learning Communities and Differentiated Instruction Practice

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 694-714
Author(s):  
Sally Wai-Yan Wan
Keyword(s):  
Professional Learning Communities ◽  
Learning Communities ◽  
Differentiated Instruction ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Teacher Participation ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose: This exploratory study investigates the relationship between teachers’ perceptions of professional learning communities (PLCs) and their differentiated instruction (DI) practice in a Hong Kong primary education context. Design/Approach/Methods: Three subsidized primary schools participated in the study. A total of 121 teachers completed surveys regarding their perceptions of PLC engagement and DI practice. Findings: Using principal component analysis, three dimensions of PLC engagement were identified: student learning, reflective dialogue, and shared and supportive leadership. Two distinctive PLC engagement profiles were generated based on cluster analysis: high PLC engagement and low PLC engagement. Teachers’ PLC engagement profiles were correlated with their DI practices. Originality/Value: The findings have implications for fostering teacher engagement in PLCs. Increased teacher participation in PLCs has great potential for promoting the use of DI.

The relationship between social capital and innovativeness climate in schools

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 232-244 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanifi Parlar ◽  
Mahmut Polatcan ◽  
Ramazan Cansoy
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Professional Learning Communities ◽  
Learning Communities ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
Social Relationship ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Relationship Networks ◽  
Intermediary Role ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose Professional learning communities that merge under the same goal in schools where social relationship networks are strong can contribute to creating an atmosphere which provides a basis for innovativeness. In this study the relationships between social capital, innovativeness climate and professional learning communities were examined through the views of teachers working at public schools. The paper aims to discuss this issue. Design/methodology/approach The data of this study, which utilised correlational survey model, were collected from 734 teachers who work in the Umraniye district of Istanbul, Turkey. Findings The findings revealed that there is a positive and statistically significant correlation between social capital, innovativeness climate and professional learning communities. The results demonstrated that teachers’ perceptions of social capital in schools affected their perceptions of innovativeness climate and that professional learning communities had an intermediary role in this relationship. These findings showed that the richness in social relationship networks provided a basis for the development of innovative teaching practices in schools and the professional learning environments created in schools contributed to this process. Research limitations/implications In this study, the intermediary role of professional learning communities on the effect of social capital on innovativeness climate was analysed via teachers’ views. In the literature no study studying the relationship between social capital, innovativeness climate and professional learning communities was found. Practical implications It can be put forward that there is a need for studies that analyse the effect of the roots of social capital on innovativeness culture to identify other variables that may potentially be relevant. In addition, this study may be a contribution to the literature by providing a study on the concepts of social capital and innovativeness climate, which were studied in the fields of social sciences extensively, in educational settings and this supports the field through theoretical and empirical studies. Originality/value This study demonstrated the effects of the concept of social capital on innovativeness climate which provides a basis for innovativeness in educational institutions. This topic is currently on the agenda of the OECD and World Bank. Moreover, this study aims to show the intermediary role of professional learning communities in the relationship between social capital and innovativeness climate.

scholarly journals Professional Learning Communities in the Contemporary Basic Education in Finland

2020 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-94
Author(s):  
Arleta Suwalska
Keyword(s):  
Professional Learning Communities ◽  
Learning Communities ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
Basic Education ◽  
Collective Responsibility ◽  
Individual Learning ◽  
Shared Values

Summary In the article I will pay attention to schools as Professional Learning Communities which include: shared values and vision of education, collective responsibility, reflective professional inquiry, collaboration and group, as well as individual, learning. I also analyze trust and respect, closely related to PLC in contemporary Finnish education.

scholarly journals Investigating the Relationship Between School Effectiveness Professional Learning Communities and School Culture: Context of Teacher Characteristics

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 45-59
Author(s):  
Hasan Tabak ◽  
Fatih Şahin
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
School Culture ◽  
Professional Learning Communities ◽  
Learning Communities ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
School Effectiveness ◽  
Teacher Characteristics ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Study Results ◽  
The Relationship

This study aimed to test the relationship between school culture (SC), professional learning communities (PLCs), and school effectiveness (SE) in the correlational research model through structural equation modeling. The sample of the study consisted of a total of 358 teachers working at public schools in various provinces of Turkey. Thus, data from a total of 355 teachers were analyzed. In the analysis of the data, the mediator and direct role of the variables were examined through path analysis. Finally, the fourth study hypothesis examined the relationship between these three variables and teacher characteristics. In general, the study results revealed that a supportive, achievement-oriented, and task-oriented SC was important for SE and the exhibiting of PLCs behaviors. In this context, it can be argued that paying attention to these cultural components and applications, which turn teachers into a PLCs, is of significance in making schools effective.

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