Exploring Secondary School Principals’ Experiences and Leadership Practices in Building Professional Learning Communities: A Case Study in Klang, Malaysia

Abstract

<p style="text-align: justify;">A study showed Malaysian students were unable to achieve the minimum standards in Mathematics and Science subjects, prompting the need for educational reformation. With this, educators need to inculcate Professional Learning Community (PLC) to enhance the teaching quality. This study explores secondary school principals’ PLC practices and experiences to improve student achievement in Klang, Malaysia. The qualitative case study was conducted using randomly selected two secondary school principals in Klang. The interview session comprised four interview questions and was conducted via an online platform. The results showed two common PLC practices which are annual meetings and observation. The challenges faced by school principals to implement PLC were time factors, lack of budget, and teacher attitudes. The factors hindering students' learning achievement were family background, lack of focus on education, and teachers' resistance to change. The roles of principals to curb these issues were collecting data on students' learning achievement, equipping teachers with knowledge and resources, being good role models, and building relationships with parents. This study highlighted that school principal 1 has shown unique ideas and approaches in improving students' learning achievement compared to school principal 2. The study suggests using descriptive analysis using more than one group of participants.</p>