Facilitating professional learning communities in China: Do leadership practices and faculty trust matter?

Abstract

This study examined the relationships between leadership practices, faculty trust, and professional learning communities in the context of mainland China. A total of 1,095 Chinese primary school teachers participated in a survey. The results showed that leadership practices had positive effects on faculty trust and professional learning communities. They further showed that trust in colleagues positively, whereas trust in the principal negatively, mediated the relationships between leadership practices and four components of professional learning communities. The negative mediation of trust in the principal may be attributed to Chinese cultural and contextual circumstances. The implications of these findings are discussed.