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Few existing research examines the relationship between transformational leadership and professional learning communities. This study aims to explore the relationship between transformational leadership and professional learning community components from the perspective of teachers in the Chinese context. A total of 385 primary school teachers participated in the questionnaire survey. This quantitative study used the 12-item Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire and the16-item PLC scale. The structural equation model showed a good fit. The results showed that transformational leadership had a significant positive effect on professional learning community. Moreover, it has a significant impact on all four components of PLC, namely, organizational learning, shared responsibility, reflective dialogue, de-privatized practice. Transformational leadership conflicts with Chinese Confucian culture on some core features, which provides valuable cases for research on the applicability of transformational leadership in different contexts. At the same time, it also provides empirical evidence for the study of the relationship between transformational leadership and professional learning communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While in-service teachers’ professional commitment has gained significant attention in recent years, researches on pre-service teachers’ professional commitment is still insufficient, particularly with regard to the effect that professional learning communities play on pre-service teachers’ professional commitment. In this context, this study employed mixed methods to investigate the impact of workshops for teaching competitions as a professional learning community on pre-service teachers’ professional commitment in China. A questionnaire survey was administered to pre-service teachers who had workshop experiences (n = 43) and their classmates who did not have workshop experiences (n = 98) to examine the effect of workshops for teaching competitions as a professional learning community on pre-service teachers’ professional commitment. Follow up qualitative interviews with 5 pre-service teachers with workshop experiences were conducted to explain the reasons behind such effects. The results showed that workshop experiences had significant and positive effects on pre-service teachers’ professional commitment and the characteristics of shared vision, collaboration, and reflective dialogue affected their professional commitment from three perspectives: commitment to teaching as a career, personal time investment, and interest in professional development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The study aimed in examining the impact of the professional learning community, and teachers' self-efficacy on the job satisfaction of teachers. Additionally, the study has also examined the moderating role of teachers' self-efficacy in the relationship between the professional learning community (PLC) and job satisfaction. Method: The SEM-PLS is employed for the data analysis. The response rate of the study is 50%. The study is carried out on the primary teachers in China. Results: Three research questions were developed in the current study. The questions were related to the job satisfaction level of PE teachers, which was far beyond the level of satisfaction. As a result, teachers of PE classes had low performance. It was found by the study that professional learning community, job satisfaction of teachers, and selfefficacy are linked with each other. However, the results are inconclusive because of the limitation of the sample. Implications: The study has several implications among researchers, practitioners, and teachers. Significance: The study is among the few earlier studies on the issues related to Job Satisfaction and the professional learning community in China. Originality/Value: The study has highlighted an important issue related to the Job Satisfaction and professional learning community in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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 five professional learning community components, four of which, collaborative activity, collective focus on student learning, de-privatized practice, and reflective dialogue, positively predicted teacher self-efficacy. Analysis showed that collaborative activity, de-privatized practice, and reflective dialogue significantly mediated the effects of instructional leadership on teacher self-efficacy. Implications for school leadership and teacher learning are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports the impact of a new Canada and China school network on its participating teachers in the context of the Canada−China Partnership Grant Project. Eight schools formed four pairs of sister schools, and teachers in these schools created collaborations embedded in their practices. The data include interviews of teachers and principals in both countries and records of teachers' cross-cultural collaborations. Informed by the literature on teacher learning and professional learning communities, this paper shows benefits of international teacher communities. Also, it explores a new approach to research that features spatiality considerations reflecting a new trend in the comparative education literature. Focusing on teacher knowledge and practice, it shows reciprocal effects of collaboration in the international school network. Finally, this paper links the research results to the literature in a way that highlights the potential of international teacher professional learning communities and contributions of this kind of practice and research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the teaching gap between rural and urban schools in China from the perspective of teacher professional learning communities (PLCs). Drawing on in-depth interviews with 36 primary school teachers, the study finds striking disparities between rural and urban schools in the working of Teaching and Research Groups (TRGs). These disparities in TRGs result in divergent patterns of instructional capacity building in rural and urban schools. The evidence shows that teaching and teachers are strongly shaped by the school organizational context. It suggests that strengthening school-wide PLCs is an important way of narrowing the rural-urban teaching and learning gaps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Factors leading to successful professional learning communities (PLCs) have been widely discussed in the West, but little is known about how/whether teachers’ beliefs contribute to PLCs in the Chinese context. This qualitative case study aimed to investigate teachers’ beliefs about teacher learning in PLCs and their influence on collegial learning activities in two departments of a Hong Kong secondary school. Semi-structured interviews and observations were employed to collect data. The findings indicate that teachers in the Chinese Department believed that learning could be achieved in PLCs and their practices of collegial activities were conducive to teacher learning. Conversely, teachers in the English Department did not believe that interacting with colleagues would foster learning and their collegial activities yielded limited accomplishment in teacher growth. It is suggested that teachers’ beliefs play an important role in facilitating or impeding reform initiatives on teacher development. Implications for teacher education and further studies are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study investigated the relationships between a professional learning community (PLC), faculty trust in colleagues, teachers’ collective efficacy, and their commitment to students. The findings from exploratory factor analysis indicated that three clear components could be extracted from the scale of Professional Learning Communities Assessment (PLCA) in a Chinese setting. Multilevel analyses was conducted to investigate how school-level variables, including the three factors of PLC, faculty trust in colleagues, and collective teacher efficacy, affect teachers’ commitment to students. The findings from the Hong Kong teacher sample indicated that two PLC factors including collective learning and application and supportive conditions – structures, and the factors faculty trust in colleagues and collective teacher efficacy could significantly and positively account for the school-level variances of teachers’ commitment to students. Another PLC factor, shared and supportive leadership, was not identified as a significant predictor to teachers’ commitment to students in a Chinese setting. The findings of school-level regressions indicated that all three factors of PLC as well as faculty trust in colleagues could significantly and positively affect teachers’ collective efficacy on instructional strategies. However, only one PLC factor, collective learning and application, and the factor faculty trust in colleagues were significant predictors to teachers’ collective efficacy on student discipline. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]