Veteran secondary teachers are becoming complacent and isolating themselves because of changes in teacher professional development; however, continuing to learn and update instructional practices is part of teacher professional development. To better understand veteran secondary teachers, their views and experiences must be understood. The problem explored in this study was the lack of research on how to change veteran secondary teachers' thoughts to improve their culture and practice. This qualitative interpretative phenomenological analysis explored veteran secondary teachers' experiences with collaborative learning in professional learning communities (PLCs) at a middle school in northwest Arkansas. Participants included 10 veteran secondary teachers. The four constructs of Vygotsky's (1978) sociocultural theory (zone of proximal development, more knowledgeable others, dialogue, and scaffolding) guided the development of the research questions. Veteran secondary teachers agreed that small group PLCs are more beneficial when collaborating with group members, allowing peer-to-peer support and a culture of accountability. Participants described the zone of proximal development, more knowledgeable others, dialogue, and scaffolding as a helpful blueprint of how people understand through exchanging information, reinforcing the constructs of Vygotsky's (1978) sociocultural theory. Future research suggestions include studying middle school PLCs across the country, specifically small group PLCs, and the experiences of elective teachers participating in PLCs. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]