This mixed-method study explored the influences of professional learning communities (PLCs) on teachers' job satisfaction in China. A questionnaire survey was administered to 488 teachers in 16 primary schools in Shanghai to examine the effect of PLCs on teachers' job satisfaction. Follow-up qualitative interviews with 10 teachers were conducted…

Formal collaborative structures for teacher teams as professional learning communities (PLC) have long been a supported practice aimed at changing instructional practice and increasing student outcomes in a cycle of continuous improvement. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the implementation of PLC teams at the middle school level in a…

This research shows the development and influencing factors of high school English teachers' evaluation of professional learning community in Changchun, China. Followed Olivier and Hipp & Huffma's research, the teacher professional learning community evaluation questionnaire was developed by the researchers. 422 English teachers in Changchun…

Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) have become a popular reform initiative for schools looking to increase student achievement. School district officials can find it difficult to implement and sustain Professional Learning Communities as some teachers are not accustomed to the levels of collaboration with peers involved. If implemented and…

Achieving equity in education is an ongoing challenge, especially in the education of multilingual learners (MLs) in U.S. school contexts. Extant research demonstrates teachers' lack of preparation in equitably teaching multilingual learners. Traditional professional development efforts are insufficient to change the current landscape for teaching…

Students represent the majority of the people in a school organisation, but are rarely considered as participants in literature on professional learning communities (PLC). This article explored a PLC with the legitimate participation of students in the classroom. Data was based on interviews with 11 teachers. Community of practice theory provides…

The literature on educational policy implementation has shifted the paradigm from investigating how policy impacted upon schools to exploring how teachers interpret, adapt, or implement policy messages. Much research has been conducted in United States of America settings, so little is understood about how teachers interpret policy messages in…

The study explored the relationships among instructional leadership, professional learning community components, and teacher self-efficacy in the context of mainland China. Study subjects were 1082 elementary school teachers participating in a questionnaire survey. The results showed that instructional leadership had significant effects on the…

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine how principal support, professional learning communities, collective responsibility, and group-level teacher expectations affect 11th-grade student math achievement. Research Methods: Data for this study were from the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009, administered by the U.S. Department of…

Research and design activities are becoming more important in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and D&T (design and technology) education. Research and design are often taught separately from each other, while in professional STEM practices, many projects are neither 'research only' or 'design only'--they are both. In…

The purpose of this article is to identify how principals shape the adoption and implementation of professional learning communities. The study employed a sequential mixed-methods approach in which interviews, observations, and document analysis informed survey design. Teachers were surveyed in four elementary schools about the practices and…

This qualitative case study examined the effect of PLCs on teacher self-efficacy, and whether the type of PLC structure on each campus affected efficacy. The overarching research question that guided the study was, to what extent does perceived teacher self-efficacy change as a result of the practice of PLCs? Participants were selected using…

Professional learning communities have been labeled as effective and capable of producing continuous school improvement. Despite the merits and popularity of professional learning communities, they have been shown to be an elusive concept to implement. The problem this study addressed was the inconsistent quality of professional learning…

This study examines how an online training into teacher research has been evaluated in relation to the three main elements of the community of inquiry framework (CoI): teaching, social, and cognitive presences. We held the online training as a part of TESOL's Electronic Village Online (EVO) and offered a course on how teacher research can be…

There is a large body of research that suggests the concept of a professional learning community (PLC) can promote improved student learning by increasing collective teacher capacity to meet the diverse learning needs of students (Reeves, 2016; Battersby & Verdi, 2013; Marzano & DuFour, 2011; Fullan 2010, Senge, 2006; Morrissey, 2000;…