Examining the Professional Learning Community Practices: An Empirical Comparison from Malaysian Universities Clusters

Abstract

Theoretically, the concept of Professional Learning Community (PLC) is an extended learning processes or medium to foster collaboration between job-related tasks within the particular workplace and later has significant impact towards improving the performance of human resources. Numerous studies indicate the implementation of PLC in HEI context marked an improvement of collaborative cultures that enhance the Community of Practice (CoP) and the establishment of effective teamwork among the academic staff. Using the post-positivist underpinnings, this study was designed to investigate the practices of PLC in Malaysia's three major clusters universities and later explained its positive impact towards job satisfaction of the academics. Hence, Hord's model of professional learning communities that consists of five main constructs was used as indicators to measure the effectiveness of PLC which are supportive and shared leadership, collective learning, shared values and vision, supportive and shared condition, and shared personal practice. A total of 245 academics were selected randomly in order to gather their feedbacks towards the implementation of PLC in Malaysian's university-based clusters. Descriptive analysis revealed that the university leadership of three major clusters has successfully implemented the PLC based on the responses except for the shared and sharing leadership. Additionally, regression analysis also supports that constructed hypothesis where PLC significantly contributes on the academic's job satisfaction. Therefore, research revealed that PLC that was considered as part of informal method used in institution of higher education institutions that manages to enhanced academic's job satisfaction, learning through sharing and collaborative environment, and also to the improvement of student's performance.