Professional Learning Communities Research Articles

Expanding a Professional Learning Community to Focus on Inclusion, Belonging, and Student Success

Student success, particularly for students from marginalized populations, depends on a number of co-existing factors, not the least of which are a sense of belonging and the institution’s focus on inclusion. This article showcases the lessons learned from a professional learning community (PLC) for faculty, staff, and students, which was intentionally designed to create awareness of these issues and the need for courageous conversations to support change. The article discusses one particular PLC, a form of virtual “book club,” which occurred during the Fall 2021 semester (September–December). This PLC was focused on Anthony Jack’s text The Privileged Poor: How Elite Colleges Are Failing Disadvantaged Students, published in 2019, and encouraged a unique dialogue on student experience, co-facilitated by a team who critiqued aspects such as race, class, and first-generation status from different vantage points in higher education.

A SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE NETWORK ANALYSIS (SLNA)

This study aims to uncover current, trending, and future research areas within School-University Partnerships (SUPs). The research employs the Systematic Literature Network Analysis (SLNA) method, combining Systematic Literature Review (SLR) using the PRISMA protocol and Bibliometric Analysis with VOSviewer software. The findings indicate a consistent annual increase in SUPs publications, with the United States dominating the research landscape. The VOSviewer analysis reveals key research topics: pre-service teachers, initial teacher education, teacher education in Cluster 1, professional development and school-university partnerships in Cluster 2, and educational development, teacher training, and university in Cluster 3. Overlay Visualization highlights current research trends, including pre-service teachers, professional experience, professional learning community, professional learning, curriculum, learning communities, and communities of practice. Thematic evolution mapping suggests future research involving pre-service teachers in SUPs, such as exploring communities of practice. This research provides valuable guidance for SUPs researchers in selecting and determining future research topics, facilitating informed and strategic contributions to the field.

Outcomes of District-Led Professional Development Embedded within Biology Professional Learning Communities Among Three High Schools in a Single School District

District-led Professional Development (DLPD) holds great promise for cost-effective and sustained PD for K-12 faculty but is often enacted as whole-group, one-shot meetings on topics (e.g., 21st-century learning) non-specific to teachers’ grade levels and content areas. Alternatively, Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) provide on-site and ongoing collaborative support to teachers by common grade levels or content areas. To best leverage DLPD and PLCs, an exploratory multiple case study was conducted to examine how three separate high schools’ biology PLCs had received and enacted DLPD in teaching 21st-century skills. Desimone and Pak’s five core features of effective PD were used as the theoretical framework to explore teachers’ perceptions of the semester-long DLPD through interviews, lesson plans, PLC agendas, and classroom observations. Case analyses found that participating biology teachers perceived that the coherence and content focus was the greatest affordances of having 21st century focused DLPD in their PLC. Collective participation, active learning, and duration were revealed respectively. Results suggested teachers had incorporated the 21st-century skill of communication the most and creativity the least in their practice. Findings suggest that DLPD embedded within PLCs provide contextualized PD opportunities to high school biology teachers when there is sufficient time and opportunities for translating knowledge into practice.

‘It Will Be a Ripple Effect:’ Coaches Cultivating Teacher Leadership for Inclusive Education through Professional Learning Communities

Traditional approaches to professional development for inclusive education narrowly frame inclusive education as a special education reform. Such approaches emphasize technical practices rather than surfacing and disrupting harmful ideologies that normalize the segregation of students with disabilities. Alternatively, there is potential for a transformative ripple effect for inclusive education when professional development prioritizes the critical inquiry, collaboration, and collective action of teacher leaders. Professional learning communities offer a model for professional development through which teacher leaders can cultivate the tools and support needed for taking action for inclusive education in their own contexts. Coaches are uniquely positioned as advocates and teacher leaders who can facilitate such professional development. This action research study explored how four inclusive education coaches (1) worked to cultivate a professional learning community for developing inclusive teacher leaders in response to the needs of their district and (2) reflected on the impact of this professional development to plan for their ongoing support of the district’s inclusive teacher leaders. The findings highlight the importance of professional learning communities as a professional development approach for supporting the collaboration and agency for teacher leaders for inclusive education.

Educators’ Perceptions of Professional Growth Plans in the Context of Professional Learning Communities

Professional Growth Plans (PGPs), a model of professional development for educators, were completed in the context of Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) as part of a grant from a state Professional Educator Standards Board. Participants were in the Pacific Northwest of the United States and represented different educator roles in two urban elementary schools. The PGP process was introduced in PLCs and focused on the implementation of High Leverage Practices (HLPs) for inclusive classrooms (McLeskey et al., 2019). In a collaborative effort with university facilitators, educators engaged in tenets of Participatory Action Research (PAR) through enactment of the PGP process to implement and reflect on outcomes related to their use of HLPs. Educators selected PGP goals focused on areas of instructional growth and improvement of student performance. PAR was enacted in the context of educators’ individual instructional settings through implementation of PGPs. The purpose of the grant was to familiarize and support educators in the PGP process. The purpose of the study was to identify educators’ perceived benefits and challenges with the implementation of PGPs within the context of a collaborative PLC.

Perspective: Professional Learning Communities as a Strategy for Enhancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Online Higher Education

In recent years, higher education enrollment has become increasingly diverse, particularly in online programs. Accordingly, institutions are increasingly aware of the importance of retaining these students and supporting them through successful degree/program completion. While there has been substantial declaration of the need for promoting improvement in equity and inclusion, the strategies for effectively achieving this are still lacking or, at best, are in experimental stages. The result is a gap between the acknowledgement of the need for serving diverse students and the culture shift necessary to effectively foster an environment that advances equity and inclusion. While truly achieving equity and inclusion requires a multi-faceted approach, we assert that an under-utilized strategy is the use of faculty-led Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), which aim for incremental transformation of teaching practices through ongoing, inquiry-based learning. Forming and implementing PLCs for cross-discipline faculty of all backgrounds to convene and collaborate on the development of enhanced curriculum and teaching strategies that leverage diversity and prompt equity and inclusion in the classroom can accelerate the culture shift required to truly serve diverse learners.

특수교사와 일반교사의 학교 안 전문적학습공동체 참여 경험과 의미

Objectives The purpose of this study was to examine special and general teachers’ experiences and implications of participating in an in-school professional learning community to encourage the disabled students to participate in the inclusive classes.
 Methods The researcher used the collaborative action research to achieve the purpose of this study. For this pur-pose, the researcher used the action research method of problem addressing-planning-implementing-in-trospecting-modifying of the plan and re-implementing. To this end, the researcher organized and operated an in-school professional learning community wherein a special teacher and two general ones would participate.
 Results First of all, the results of teachers’ cooperative participation in the in-school professional learning com-munity to encourage the disabled students to participate positively in learning can be summed up as follows. First, the school community members experienced some positive changes, while improving the problems in the school professional learning community, through the collaborative action research study. Secondly, through the collabo-rative action research study, the school community members could experience and perceive the educational val-ue of the professional in-school learning community. Thirdly, it was found that the special teacher and general ones could form a partnership for a cooperative learning. Next, the conclusion about teachers’ experiences and implication of their participation in the in-school learning community can be summed up as follows. First, the teachers who participated in the in-school professional learning community would experience the positive change of teachers’ perception. Secondly, the teachers would experience a positive change in the interactions with the school community members. Thirdly, the teachers who participated in the professional learning com-munity would be able to develop their educational professionalism.
 Conclusions It is expected that this study would provide for some basic data to explore an effective method of enhancing inclusive education through the in-school professional learning community.

Creating a Collaborative Teaching Culture: The Case Study of the Value of a Professional Learning Community

In sport management higher education, doctoral students and early-career faculty are often tasked with teaching university courses, yet the training and support rarely match the demands of the job. This paper explores the utility of a professional learning community (PLC) within a sport management department at an American university using a case study methodology. A PLC creates space for colleague collaboration among faculty with similar objectives and goals. The PLC examined in this manuscript includes a mix of experienced (i.e., associate and full professors) and inexperienced professors (i.e., assistant professors and doctoral students) sharing their classroom/instructional experience at the undergraduate and master’s levels. PLCs represent a viable solution to help ease the classroom transition for early-career instructors and provide a platform for faculty to seek advice related to challenges. Findings suggest that the proper implementation of PLCs can lead to perceived increases in teaching effectiveness, self-efficacy, and collaboration amongst experienced and inexperienced faculty. Other benefits of PLCs include allowing faculty members to remain attuned to current classroom trends and maintaining a common philosophical mission/vision for the degree program.

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

<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>

Professional learning communities in initial teacher education in Uruguay: social network analysis

This research addresses a network analysis in three teacher education centers for teachers and professors in Uruguay to determine the degree to which they function in professional communities according to four aspects: innovation initiatives, information exchange, digital inclusion, and collaboration in planning. The study is based on a previous categorization regarding the level of digital inclusion for deep learning on the basis of an online survey applied to 32 principals of public teacher education centers (high, medium, and low levels). One case was identified at each level, taking into account the geographic characteristics and the type of teacher education center. In each case, information-gathering techniques were applied: in-depth interviews, surveys for the network analysis, and focus groups. Results show that in all three cases, professional learning communities lite (as defined by Dufour & Reeves, 2016). In two of the centers, those with the higher rate of digital inclusion for learning, there is a diversity in the actors who form the ties that make up the networks. Last, the innovation network is the weakest in terms of the number and variety of the ties.

How do departmental professional learning communities and teacher leadership matter for teacher self-efficacy? A multi-level analysis

PurposeWhilst professional learning communities (PLCs) have been widely explored at the school level, they have received less attention at the departmental level. The study takes the variance between departments and the role of departmental teacher leaders into consideration, and the relationships amongst departmental-level PLC dimensions, two types of teacher leadership (TL) and individual teacher self-efficacy are investigated.Design/methodology/approachThe sample consisted of 907 teachers from 81 departments in Chinese schools. The associations between the studied variables were explored through a multi-level analysis approach.FindingsThe results show that two specific characteristics of departmental PLCs, namely reflective dialogue (RD) and collective responsibility (CR), exhibit a positive correlation with individual teacher self-efficacy. Additionally, the findings indicate that teacher transformational leadership significantly predicts teacher self-efficacy, whereas teacher instructional leadership (IL) does not emerge as a significant predictor. These findings may be attributed to the contextual factors of Chinese teachers' collective work and the practice of teacher leaders.Originality/valueThis research contributes to the existing literature by addressing the variance between departments and uncovering the impacts of departmental PLC dimensions on individual teachers. Furthermore, two TL styles at the departmental level are differentiated, and their distinct influences on teacher self-efficacy are further analysed.

Navigating the landscape of academic coaching: a comprehensive bibliometric analysis

PurposeAcademic coaching (AC) has gained a significant attention to support student success and achievement in higher education, management and psychology. This study aimed to conduct a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of AC literature to identify the top authors, research patterns, hotspots and research topics in the field.Design/methodology/approachThe study utilized a bibliometric analysis of articles published between 1987 and 2023, using descriptive and network analysis methods with tools such as RStudio, Biblioshiny, Excel and VOSviewer. The study also conducted functional, mapping and content analysis, to identify AC literature's key themes and research areas.FindingsThe results revealed an increasing interest in AC, with increased publications. However, there are gaps in geographical diversity and authorship. Most studies were conducted in the United States of America and the UK, and were published in education, psychology and coaching journals. Common themes included coaching, professional development, higher education and mentoring. Emerging research areas include: coaching efficacy in education, AC as an online learning support and professional learning communities. More studies are needed in different contexts and with larger sample sizes.Originality/valueThis comprehensive bibliometric analysis adds to the existing literature by presenting a detailed analysis of the field of AC, filling a gap in the current literature. The study's unique contribution is its examination of emerging research areas and themes in AC literature, providing directions for future research. This study is particularly relevant for researchers, practitioners and policymakers interested in understanding AC's state of the art and identifying promising areas for future research.

Enhancing teachers’ digital skills in teaching of economics in south african secondary schools

The ICT integration in teaching and learning of economics survey indicates that it is only in seven countries that 40 % to 50 % of learners in grades four to twelve were taught by digitally skilful teachers who had minimum access to ICT, with very minimal difficulties to use ICT tools in schools, (EU-LLP, 2020). This contributes largely to learners’ lower academic performance and hinders the effective teaching of economics in South African schools and thus forfeits the objectives of ICT usage in teaching and learning. Little is known about how teachers’ ICT skill deficiency can be addressed. In closing this knowledge gap, we investigated how can teachers’ digital skills be enhanced and how the Economics CAPS document can be amended to guide teachers towards a successful ICT integration. Guided by an interpretive paradigm, this qualitative study employed a case study design. Four schools were purposively sampled, document reviews and semi-structured interviews were used for data collection. We found professional learning communities, continuous professional development and the introduction of ICT champions as contrivances in enhancing teachers’ digital skills. CAPS was reported imperceptible on how teachers can resourcefully utilise ICTs, thus restructuring, such that direct video conferencing links, and Moodle be incorporated to support teachers becoming techno-savvy and self-motivated individuals who innovative facilitators of ICT mediated lessons were recommended. Furthermore, policymakers, department and government should outsource funding to ensure that equipment needed for ICT integration is available and consider ongoing training for economics teachers which has implications for addressing worldwide ICT learning challenges.

WHAT FACTORS INFLUENCE THE DEVELOPMENT OF EDUCATION QUALITY IN THAILAND, ACCORDING TO THE CONCEPT OF VISIBLE LEARNING? A MIXED METHODS APPROACH USING QUALITATIVE CONTENT ANALYSIS BASED ON EXPERT INTERVIEWS

Visible Learning is an educational strategy for learning success that emphasizes meaningful learning and leads to everyday application. Visible Learning enables students to cultivate self-control, adaptability, and resiliency in response to societal shifts in various spheres. Since teachers are the backbone of the education system, they are the first line of personnel who interact directly with their pupils daily to facilitate the learner's assimilation of new concepts and objectives. The most crucial aspect of Visible Learning should be the transition from "instructor" to "learner" in the classroom. Even though we may not observe how individual students learn, students can describe their strategies. When teachers comprehend how students think and process information, they are able to modify their teaching strategies and observe significant improvements in student performance and learning. Visible Learning emphasizes what works in the classroom and encourages students to learn what works best. Educational organizations and agencies tasked with enhancing the quality of education management in Thailand are, therefore, primarily responsible for preparing educational personnel to manage learning following Visible Learning concepts. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 experts in the field of educational development (seven educational administrators, five education supervisors, and five teachers) using a pre-prepared interview template and analyzed according to qualitative content analysis. The study's findings will convey concepts, principles, and management considerations for the development of educational management quality in a concrete manner and by the concept of Visible Learning, including at the class level and the school level, which can assist students in acquiring the characteristics and skills of the twenty-first century. Factors related to the attitudes of administrators and teachers are the main factors influencing the development of educational quality, including the concept and procedures of teacher development and the quality of a professional learning community.

Design thinking as instructional design: examining a professional learning community for pre- and in-service teachers

ABSTRACT Across jurisdictions, new and experienced teachers are expected to engage in ongoing professional learning that centers context, student learning, and teachers as adaptive instructional designers. The present study examines one such professional learning opportunity. From 2017 to 2020, a university teacher education program partnered with a school division in Alberta, Canada, to create a professional learning community (PLC) for instructional design. Pre- and in-service teachers jointly participated in 12-month cycles of formal workshops, sustained practicum placements, and iterative opportunities for co-learning and reflection to strengthen their skills as instructional designers, with a specific focus on a design thinking approach. Semistructured interviews conducted between June 2020 and June 2021 with six pre- and in-service teachers who had participated in the PLC identified five key themes: (a) a sense of willingness, (b) teaching for innovation, (c) creating space to change practices, (d) a notion of ‘currency’, and (e) collaboration across stakeholder groups. Participants’ insights offer situated examples of how such collaboration may extend knowledge sharing across pre- and in-service boundaries to provide multilevel supports for teacher-led professional learning.

Learning-by-doing in a professional learning community: technological pedagogical and content knowledge development of Hong Kong university teaching staff

Learning-by-doing in a professional learning community: technological pedagogical and content knowledge development of Hong Kong university teaching staff

Using multilevel mentoring as a situated learning approach to enhance the professional development of teachers in higher education

PurposeScholarly studies on mentoring have mostly focused on traditional mentor–mentee relationships, with little or no emphasis on how institutionalized mentoring activities that include different pedagogical approaches could be used to enhance the professional development of academics. To address this knowledge gap, this article examines how an institutionalized multilevel mentoring program could be used to enhance the professional development of early-career academics and academics in designated groups in a South African university.Design/methodology/approachThe data for the study were gathered from 18 mentees and 2 program administrators using semi-structured interviews. The data gathered were assessed by way of thematic analysis that involved a detailed process of identifying, analyzing, organizing, describing and reporting the themes that were developed from the data set.FindingsThe findings revealed that when mentees participate in different mentoring and professional development activities that are structured based on different pedagogies, they can engage in higher-order thinking processes and develop multidisciplinary experiences within an expanded professional learning community. Enabled by the situated learning setting, mentees can negotiate the meaning of their professional practice within a professional community and comprehend the nuanced pedagogical approaches including scaffolding learning used by mentors to shape their career trajectory and guide them to secure promotions.Originality/valueThe current study contributes to the scholarly discourse on situated learning by showing that mentoring could be planned and implemented as a pedagogical endeavor with diverse learning activities and structured as a form of professional development program within a professional community.

Exploring the influence of collaborative data-based decision making among teachers in professional learning communities on teaching practice

Educational policies such as the No Child Left Behind Act in 2001 and Every Student Succeeds Act in 2015 have emphasized the need for hard evidence such as standardized test data to make educational decisions. Therefore, teachers have been expected to use student assessment data to make informed curricular decisions and adjustments in teaching practice. This has led school districts to turn to data-based decision-making (DBDM) to create an effective process of student assessment data analysis, and reflection during professional learning communities (PLCs). The study explored teachers’ collaboration on the DBDM when teachers were analyzing student assessment data from common, district, and state assessments, as well as its influence on their instructional decisions. Participating teachers’ department and PLC meetings were recorded, and individual teachers’ classrooms were also observed. Teacher interview data and their lesson plans were also included and analyzed qualitatively. Results revealed that the purpose of collaboration determined types of data used, modes of analysis, and the impact on their teaching. Furthermore, teachers used varied assessment data to plan and adjust their instruction. Their motivation to enhance their teaching practices was also increased by exchanging ideas and insights rooted in the data.

Emphasizing the professional in PDS

PurposeThis article describes an effort to ease the tension between boundary spanning roles for interns participating in a yearlong Professional Development School (PDS) program. In order to do this, the structure of a Social Studies Methods course was revised to mimic a professional learning community (PLC) and assignments were not evaluated for grades.Design/methodology/approachA conceptual paper that relies on self-reflection as well as student reaction, work samples and survey data.FindingsThe findings demonstrate both practices contribute to a collegial and less stressful environment for interns, while not affecting the quality of work submitted.Originality/valueThis paper highlights two of the nine NAPDS essentials, Professional Learning and Leading (3) and Boundary Spanning (8), and describes the ways both are incorporated and addressed in a PDS situated methods course. Describing course revisions, including the implementation of an ungrading practice, provides examples for potential replication.

혁신학교의 IB 프로그램 공교육 도입에 대한 교사의 경험 사례 분석

In this study, we sought to explore how the characteristics related to agency, collegiality, and teacher identity experienced by teachers in innovative schools affect the process of introducing and operating IB schools of interest. For this purpose, five teachers with experience working in innovative schools were selected from two IB schools of interest in the Gyeonggido Office of Education, and focus groups and in-depth interviews were conducted. The research results are as follows. First, innovative school teachers actively and subjectively utilize the cultural, structural, and material resources of the currently given IB public education introduction to create a new curriculum model in order to achieve future educational goals according to their own educational beliefs in light of their innovative school experience. was responding. Second, in operating an IB-interested school, teachers review and revise how the vision and mission of the IB are connected to the vision and mission of our school through the school's collective learning, and in the process of setting the school's educational goals. Teachers were putting into practice the goal of improving the school curriculum through a professional learning community. The expertise of the school group was improving as the professional learning community operated external instructor training, observed certified school classes, set school vision and goals, and implemented frameworks. Teachers at schools interested in IB recognized the IB policy as one of the processes of finding the direction of change and the essence of education that school education should pursue, based on the direction and perspective of education that innovation schools have thought about and practiced. In the process, teachers were redefining their identity as experts in curriculum, instruction, and evaluation.