Teacher Learning Community Research Articles

Efektivitas Komunitas Belajar dalam Meningkatkan Kualitas Guru di Sekolah

Teacher learning communities are regarded as essential means to improve education quality through collaboration and professional development. However, implementation within formal school contexts faces challenges, such as time constraints, limited structural support, and low awareness of the benefits of learning communities. This study aims to explore the effectiveness of learning communities in enhancing teacher quality in schools and to identify factors influencing teacher participation. The research method employed is a literature review, encompassing analysis of 25 articles from various relevant academic journals. Thematic analysis highlights key topics, including effectiveness, challenges, and opportunities for the development of learning communities. Findings indicate that learning communities have a positive role in enhancing teacher competence and work motivation. However, significant obstacles remain, such as lack of support from school management and limited understanding. The study also emphasizes the potential for digital technology-based learning communities, which could increase teacher participation by providing more flexible access. This study concludes that stronger policy support and further research are needed to address implementation barriers and maximize the potential of learning communities to enhance teaching quality in schools.

An Examination on the Planning and Practice of Bilingual Education in Primary and Secondary Schools in Taiwan

Over the past few years, several reforms in language education have been outlined to implement the full-scale bilingualization of the education system in Taiwan. Among the 3392 public primary and secondary schools, nearly one-third of them have been implementing bilingual education in certain subjects. The vast majority of these schools have adopted Immersion, CLIL, or EMI as models for bilingual education. It has been argued that these exotic models cannot be “transplanted” to the education context of Taiwan, and he proposes the FERTILE model. Adopting this model as the theoretical framework, this qualitative study aims to examine how school practitioners plan and practice bilingual education in Taiwan. Data were collected through the document analysis of the progress reports from thirty-five primary and secondary schools and three focus group discussions (FGDs) with nine subject teachers. The findings show that the participants made considerable efforts to construct a bilingual environment and have an identical understanding about the strategies for bilingual instruction that emphasize subject knowledge and students’ comprehension. However, the participants experienced a diverse ecology of bilingual teacher learning communities and received differential support from the principals. Qualified and stable teaching manpower was identified as the key to sustain bilingual education. Implications to different education stakeholders are also discussed.

여자교사체육교육공동체 원더티처의 결성과 활동 탐구

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to describe the formation of the female teacher physical education community called Wonder Teacher and the professional development activities of physical education classes and to find their meaning. Methods: Participants in the study selected four of the management teams that can give in-depth answers to the story of community formation and program planning and operation. Participation and observation, documents, and in-depth interviews were used for data collection, and a qualitative research method was used to describe the formation and activities of Wonder Teacher, analyze them inductively, and interpret them. Results: As a result of the study, Wonder Teacher was formed for solidarity and harmony of female physical education teachers. The wandering of female physical education teachers led to the birth of a community through the awakening of the truth that they were not alone. The main activities of Wonder Teacher were found to be practical training by subject, online open lectures, and sports clubs, and each activity was pursuing customization, inclusion, and Work-life Blending. The researcher derived the meaning of Wonder Teacher formed for solidarity and harmony of female physical education teachers and continued various activities as an ensemble. In addition, the necessity of forming a teacher learning community with various ages, genders, and motivations was suggested. Conclusion: The formation and activities of Wonder Teacher, which started with the wandering of female physical education teachers, is leading to the improvement of female teachers' professionalism in physical education. These are the directions for voluntary professional development activities of female teachers through the teacher learning community. It is expected that this study will present implications for the composition, operation, and support of the in-service teacher education and teacher learning community and serve as the basis for research on the female teacher learning community in the field of physical education.

Re‐imagining professional learning communities in education: Placing teacher leadership in STEM context

Re‐imagining professional learning communities in education: Placing teacher leadership in <scp>STEM</scp> context

A Development Technology Acceptance Model Towards Blended Learning Motivation: Social Presence as A Mediator

Blended learning motivation (BLM) is crucial for the success of blended learning, especially for students in higher vocational education and training institutions (HVETIs). This study investigates the impact of perceived usefulness (PU), perceived ease of use (PEU), and social presence (SP) on blended learning motivation. An online survey collected data from 714 students across 36 HVETIs in Chongqing City, China. The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling to examine the relationships among the study variables. The findings indicate social presence, perceived ease of use, and perceived usefulness positively influence blended learning motivation. Perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use enhance blended learning motivation through social presence, even though the direct effect of perceived ease of use on social presence was unsupported, with perceived ease of use indirectly influencing social presence through perceived usefulness. This study highlights the social presence's pivotal role in promoting blended learning motivation and offering insights for developing a motivational, trust-based blended learning community for students, educators, and policymakers within blended learning environments.

Facilitating collaborative inquiry into practice around artifacts of mathematics teaching

AbstractAlthough there has been increasing attention to the importance of teacher agency in professional development, there has been little attention to what it takes to facilitate collaborative work that both centers teachers’ assets and expertise and leads to productive learning. This paper presents a framework for focused and responsive facilitation of productive discourse around instructional practice in teacher learning communities. Drawing on a situative perspective, we trace the development of six novice teacher leaders as they were mentored to lead online collaborative lesson design groups focused on analyzing artifacts of K-8 mathematics instruction in a large urban district in the US. Our framework articulates how leaders facilitated the discussions in ways that both built on teacher knowledge, experiences, and contributions while also focusing on professional learning goals. Our analysis also shows how rich learning opportunities were co-constructed and sustained by the mentors, teacher leaders, and participants in each group over time. Through narrative descriptions of one group, we show how the teacher participants began to take on some of the facilitation practices themselves as they apprenticed into the practices of the community. This approach to professional learning positions teachers’ experience and knowledge as important assets while supporting them to try out and reflect on new classroom practices.

Developing a Professional Learning Community for Pre-service Teachers Majoring in "History Education", "History and Geography Education" through Vocational Training at the University of Education, Vietnam National University, Hanoi

The field of teacher professional development has been extensively researched, while pre - service teacher professional development has received little attention. This article focuses on creating a professional learning community for “History Education”, “History and Geography Education” students. Pre - service teachers are individuals who have not yet officially entered the profession; they serve as the high school reserve team and the "future generation" of the education industry. As a result, focusing on developing professional knowledge and competence for them is seen as one of the most pressing challenges, particularly in light of the constant changes in education that necessitate prompt adaptation and adjustment by teachers. The solution that we propose is to create professional learning communities for pre - service teachers through vocational training programs at universities. We perceive that the recommended approaches can have produced positive results in terms of boosting their understanding and professional training.

The New Shifting of Community of Practices in Learning Speaking

Speaking is a productive skill that cannot be learned quickly but through a process requiring time, energy, and effort. To accelerate the development of speaking skills, English learners, such as those in senior high school, frequently participate in learning communities, such as Community of Practice. Several studies related to community of practices have been conducted, which reported teacher learning community and learning with peers. However, there is a scarce discussion on the concept of a Community of Practice for learning English-speaking skills. Therefore, this research investigated whether the English Club supports students’ speaking skills. The research methodology used in this study is Narrative Inquiry. The subjects of the research were the students and the coach. The research was conducted at SMA Negeri 6 Banjarmasin. The Researcher employed instruments such as observation checklists and interview guidelines. The findings of the study showed that the English Club at SMA Negeri 6 Banjarmasin supports students in developing their speaking skills. The English Club is a community of students who actively practice using English for communication. The club supports informal learning, focusing on developing public speaking skills through storytelling, speech, and debate. The club's activities are designed to enhance students' fluency and pronunciation.

Physics card games to support knowledge organization: design considerations and teachers’ attitudes

Despite the positive effects of gamification on student motivation and learning outcomes, there are still widespread concerns that ‘playing games is merely fun’ and have no added value, thus making teachers hesitate about incorporating games into their teaching. This paper describes Phys-Cards games, designed as a summative hands-on activity that highlights physics concepts through a ‘contrast and compare’ task in a game context. The Phys-Cards games were presented in a national network of professional learning communities (PLCs) for high school physics teachers. The teachers first played the games and then reflected on their experiences after they implemented them in their classrooms. Surveys and an analysis of the teachers’ reflections indicated that they valued the Phys-Cards games and reported that the games contributed to students’ conceptual understanding and knowledge organization. However, teachers faced challenges such as team size and composition, how to best monitor different groups, and timing in the instructional sequence. In their discussions during the PLC meetings, the teachers identified the features of the games that best promotedmeaningful collaborative learning and suggested productive ways to incorporate the games into their teaching.

Research on the Construction of Teacher Professional Learning. Community in the Web 3.0 Era

China’s teacher education reform has always advocated the establishment of a teacher-professional learning community to promote teacher professional development and school progress. In the Web 3.0 era, the increasingly open, secure, and fair network has created conditions for the teacher professional learning community to conduct data confirmation. However, in China, the phenomenon of a “silent spiral” has emerged in the professional learning community of teachers, that is, the inferior opinions of teachers in the professional learning community turn to “silent”, and the superior opinions shout, which to a certain extent hinders the creation, protection, and sharing of teacher metadata, affects the development of data right confirmation in the field of education, and slows down the pace of teacher education practice. This study mainly focuses on the value of building a Chinese teacher professional learning community in the Web 3.0 era, the specific difficulties and reasons, and how to develop a Chinese teacher professional learning community in the future. This study mainly adopts the method of documentary review and draws on the “spiral of silence” theory, which regards the expression of opinions and the spread of “silence” as a spiral process of social communication, and influences and restricts public opinion by creating an “opinion environment”. It is found that under the background of the Web 3.0 era, there is an information cocoon in the professional learning community of teachers, and teachers are affected by the diversity of information. Teachers fear independence and generally produce a herd mentality. It is easy to ignore the disadvantageous climate in the professional learning community of teachers, resulting in the continuous silence of teachers. In addition, teacher groups tend to be too stressed and unable to resist the opinion environment. Therefore, the research draws the following conclusions, the construction of teacher professional learning community should adhere to positive guidance, cultivate the correct learning concept, and build the core value concept; Strengthen teachers’ group consciousness, establish a common vision, and make teachers have a sense of belonging to the community; Coordinate the “online + offline”, build a learning mechanism, and salvage the silent voice of the group in the professional learning community of teachers; Provide supporting conditions around the key development issues of the community to promote the growth of opinion climate.

초임초등교사의 영어교사교육과 영어교수의 경험 및 인식

This study aimed to explore elementary teachers’ experiences and perceptions of English in-service teacher education and English language teaching. Fifty elementary English teachers took part in the survey. Of these, ten teachers were involved in the focus group research. Their interviews, reflection journals, and lesson observations and analyses were collected. Data were analyzed through a mixed-method approach, primarily qualitative with quantitative methods as needed. The results are as follows: First, novice teachers found that the provision of English courses in novice teacher training was insufficient, but they felt in-service teacher training, graduate programs, teacher learning communities, and mentoring helped improve their teaching abilities. Second, when teaching, novice teachers in the focus group concentrated on phonics and basic language skills and activity- and learner-centered instruction, and they developed effective materials in their English classes. They experienced difficulties teaching English in English and teaching students at different levels. However, they made progress through various trials and errors. Third, for the professional development of novice English teachers, suggestions were made in the areas of teacher education programs, teacher learning communities, schools and administrations, and policies on teachers and teacher education, as well as the novice teachers’ efforts. Significant implications concerning novice English teacher education will be explored in greater detail.

Exploring childcare teachers’experiences in implementing nature experience activities: Focusing on a collaborative mentoring-based teacher learning community

Exploring childcare teachers’experiences in implementing nature experience activities: Focusing on a collaborative mentoring-based teacher learning community

Professional Learning Communities of Student Teachers in Internship

Since the early 1990s, professional learning communities (PLCs) have been widely recognized as an effective, extensively researched approach to professional development, school improvement, and student learning enhancement as well as leadership development within educational settings. Nevertheless, there remains a scarcity of research concerning the impact of this approach to professional development within the context of initial teacher education. The present study is one of the first to systematically examine the possibilities and potential of PLCs for student teachers in their practical pedagogical studies (internship). In particular, the study examines whether Student-Teacher PLCs (ST-PLCs) can be implemented in pre-teacher education and the perceptions of student teachers concerning their participation and professional learning within an ST-PLC. A total of 56 students from the University of Education Vorarlberg (Austria), the University of Málaga (Spain), and the European University Cyprus participated in the study, responding to an online questionnaire and engaging in focus-group interviews. The data collected indicated that ST-PLCs serve as a robust strategy for collaborative learning and the development of professional competencies. An analysis of the qualitative data showed that ST-PLCs are spaces where the reflection and analysis of teaching-related topics are stimulated, supported, shared, encouraged, and enhanced.

Empowering professional learning communities of secondary science teachers to uncover and address their students’ misconceptions via research-oriented practices

The Partnership for the Development and Success of Science Education in Secondary Schools project seeks to improve science education by fostering a dynamic environment for professional development and teacher-led inquiry within professional learning communities (PLCs). Addressing the long-standing problem of outdated pedagogical approaches, the initiative encourages secondary science teachers to actively engage in action research to identify and/or address student misconceptions of scientific concepts. Through collaboration with professional development leaders and university experts, teachers are empowered to implement and refine evidence-based instructional strategies and cultivate a culture of ongoing professional growth and reflective practice. The partnership emphasizes the importance of bridging the gap between educational research and classroom practice to improve the quality and effectiveness of science education. The project aims to bring about a positive change in teachers’ instructional practices and reflections and an increased alignment with contemporary educational standards and evidence-based practices.

Exploring the Impact of Artificial Intelligence Tools on Translation Teachers’ Self-efficacy Beliefs and Professional Development

Objective: This study aimed to investigate how the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) tools impacts translation teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs and professional development in the context of translation education. Methods: The research employed a combination of questionnaire surveys and interviews to gather data. A total of twenty-seven translation teachers, who were part of an online learning community for translation teachers in Chinese universities and colleges, willingly participated in the study. All the participants completed the questionnaire survey, and six of them further volunteered to take part in interviews after completing the survey. Results: The results of the study demonstrated that translation teachers possessed a high sense of self-efficacy in integrating AI tools in their teaching practices. They also recognized the positive impact of integrating AI tools on their professional development. Furthermore, they exhibited flexibility by adapting their instructional approaches to enhance students’ translation skills and accuracy. Conclusion: The research examined how the integration of AI tools affected translation teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs and professional development, providing valuable insights into the relationship between these factors in the context of AI tool integration. The results showed that AI tool integration had a substantial impact on translation teachers’ self-efficacy and professional learning. This integration resulted in increased self-efficacy beliefs among teachers and contributed to their professional development. Consequently, teachers were motivated to adapt their teaching methods, aiming to enhance students’ translation skills and accuracy.

Teacher leadership in professional learning communities in early childhood education: A Chinese perspective

To address the research gap in exploring teacher leadership and professional learning community (PLC) in early childhood education in China, this study explored how PLC members enacted leadership and how preschool principals influenced the enactment of such leadership. Purposive sampling was used to select research participants based on the current local governmental preschool quality ratings: Excellent, Good, and Average. Data were collected from three public preschools with corresponding levels of autonomy and hierarchical structures, and semistructured interviews were conducted with nine preschool practitioners. In terms of roles, PLC leaders served as pseudo leaders, and classroom teachers served as active learners but passive leaders in PLCs. PLC members implemented strategies that included the provision of learning support and communication to facilitate PLCs. Although preschool principals were found to serve as helmsmen, they positively managed the learning programmes and invited experts to conduct teacher training.

Teacher learning community for AR-integrated STEM education

This study used a social network analysis and a content analysis to identify 52 teachers’ perceptions to investigate the mechanisms of teachers’ roles and teachers’ perceived support from a learning community to overcome barriers to AR-integrated STEM teaching. The findings revealed that when teachers occupy more powerful and central roles in the AR-integrated STEM teaching community, they may perceive higher-order support for overcoming the corresponding barriers to AR-integrated STEM teaching. Furthermore, this study developed a framework for promoting teachers’ professional development in AR-integrated STEM teaching by clarifying the hidden role and actual support, which was rarely emphasized in past studies.

English teachers’ design and perceptions of teacher learning communities

English teachers’ design and perceptions of teacher learning communities

Understanding the Work of Professional Learning Communities for English Language Learner Teachers: Possibilities and Limitations From Two Urban High Schools

The collaboration and learning of high school English language learner (ELL) teachers is an overlooked aspect of policy and research regarding the opportunities and outcomes of emergent bilingual (EB) students. In order to better understand the work of ELL teachers, this study examined their participation in an important setting: the professional learning community (PLC), a space with potential for promoting more equitable student outcomes. Analysis of ELL teachers’ participation in PLCs at two urban high schools, and the topics addressed in PLC meetings, provides implications for teacher and student learning, and reinforces the significance of ELL teacher expertise.

Exploring the role of generic competencies in employability and academic performance of students of psychology

This paper analyses the relation between generic competencies of students of Psychology and their academic performance and employability. A sample of 43 students of Psychology in a Spanish university was used to measure their generic competencies, academic performance and employability. Correlational and regression tests were conducted to evaluate the relation between the variables. The generic competence ‘adhering to principles and values’ is positively related to employability, while the competencies ‘achieve results/client satisfaction’ and ‘socialise and create networks’ are positively related to academic performance. No significant relationship was found between academic performance and employability. Generic competencies favour both academic performance and employability. The competencies which influence only one of these aspects are different. Our research offers insights to teacher learning communities to engage in a profound reflection on the inclusion of methodologies that facilitate the development of competencies related to academic performance and those most in demand in the labour market within the field of Psychology. Generic competencies are essential part of the education of students of Psychology. These competencies are institutionally developed with the aim of orienting the education of psychologists towards their future professional practice. It is essential to understand how the development of generic competencies may facilitate academic performance and employability of graduates in Psychology.