NORTHCENTRAL UNIVERSITY

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Student: Daniel Alan Coffin

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EDU7001 Dr. Leggett

Advanced Scholarly Writing Synthesize Research Articles

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Faculty Use Only

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Synthesize Research Articles

Daniel Coffin

Northcentral University
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Synthesize Research Articles

In the search for methods to empower educators to transform schools and improve student

outcomes, many interventions have been tried: new curricula, various instructional techniques,

integration of technology, and various motivational reward schemes for students and teachers alike.

These have the drawbacks of being costly, time-consuming, or complicated to initiate, while also

demonstrating limited or spotty efficacy. There is another option, however, which bears further

investigation as a low-cost and effective means of helping both teachers and students: the

professional learning community.

Defining Professional Learning Communities

Professional learning communities, or PLCs, are groups of school-based colleagues who

work together collaboratively in the service of student learning (Gray, Kruse, & Tarter, 2015). The

PLC can provide teachers with support in lesson planning and implementation, critiquing

instructional techniques, and problem-solving (Mintzes, Marcum, Messerschmidt-Yates, & Mark,

2013; Gray, Kruse, & Tarter, 2015). PLCs can be differentiated from teams or other informal

collegial relationships in that they are derived from, and empowered by, the schools organization

structure, which enables key functions of PLCs such as collaborative planning (Gray, Kruse, &

Tarter, 2015; Peppers, 2015).

Establishing Professional Learning Communities

Vital to establishing PLCs is a stable school organizational structure which provides teachers

with support through shared decision making, open communication, and professionalism (Gray,

Kruse, & Tarter, 2015). On a practical level, it is also important for PLCs to be allowed time for

teachers to meet, discuss, and collaborate; time pressures are sensitive to teachers who must lose

preparation time in order to participate (Peppers, 2015). It is important for school leadership to

mindfully cultivate PLCs, as they do not originate of themselves; it appears that the formalized
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structure of PLC is what creates the space within which collegial trust and subsequent

collaborative effort takes shape (Gray, Kruse, & Tarter, 2015).

Effects of Professional Learning Communities

Many benefit accrue to schools which implement and sustain PLCs. PLCs have the

potential to empower teachers to teach, both through proving them with opportunities to experiment

with and master new instructional techniques themselves, as well as allowing them to vicariously

experience success through watching colleagues triumph; PLCs also offer teachers emotional

support and reinforcement from peers with whom teachers develop close social bonds of trust

(Mintzes, Marcum, Messerschmidt-Yates, & Mark, 2013; Peppers, 2015). PLCs enable teachers to

share not only professional knowledge but also their goals and vision for school improvement,

which leads to a greater sense of purpose and efficacy (Peppers, 2015). When teachers teach better,

students learn better, as the improve student outcomes following teacher participation in PLCs show

(Mintzes, Marcum, Messerschmidt-Yates, & Mark, 2013).

Conclusion

PLCs require thoughtful effort and commitment in order to flourish and grow, but the

rewards they provide are manifold: a greater sense of efficacy and empowerment and stronger

collegial bonds for teachers, a more collaborative approach to management for administrators, and

improved educational outcomes for students. With the investment of time and participation on the

part of teachers, PLCs have the potential to be transformative, making them well worth the attention

of teachers and administrators looking for ways to improve their school culture and outcomes.
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References

Gray, J., Kruse, S., & Tarter, C.J. (2015). Enabling school structures, collegial trust and

academic emphasis: Antecedents of professional learning communities. Educational

Management Administration & Leadership, 44(6), 875-891.

Mintzes, J.J., Marcum, B., Messerschmidt-Yates, C., & Mark, A. (2013). Enhancing self-efficacy

in elementary science teaching with professional learning communities. Journal of

Science Teacher Education, 24, 1201-1218.

Peppers, G.J. (2015). Teachers perceptions and implementation of professional learning

communities in a large suburban high school. National Teacher Education Journal, 8 (1),

25-31.

Article One Article Two Article Three

Enabling school Enhancing self-efficacy in Teachers perceptions and

CoffinDEDU7001-3
structure, collegial trust
and academic emphasis:
Antecedents of
professional learning
communities
Type and Quantitative; to determine
purpose to what degree the factors
of study of school structures, trust
between teacher colleagues
Type means and emphasis on academics
qualitative, in a school culture
quantitative, or
mixed methods contribute to the
research. development, maintenance,
and support of professional
learning communities.
Hypothesis or 1) Enabling structure,
Research collegial trust,
Questions academic emphasis
and professional
Both quantitative learning communities
and qualitative will correlate with
research can have
research questions,
each other.
but only
quantitative can 2) Enabling structure,
have hypotheses. collegial trust, and
academic emphasis
will individually and
jointly contribute to an
explanation of
professional learning
communities.
Population 3700 teachers and 190
and principal and
Sample administrators at 89
schools were invited to
General group complete the research
being studied, size
of sample or
survey; 42% had
number of bachelors degree, 51% had
participants, age(s), masters degrees, and 4%
gender, etc.
had further advanced
degrees; return rate of
74%; 45 elementary, 13
middle, and 9 high schools.
elementary science teaching
with professional learning
communities
Mixed methods (qualitative and
quantitative); to determine the
effect of professional learning
communities on the sense of
self-efficacy of in-service
teachers
Will a Lesson Study professional
learning community substantially
increase personal self-efficacy in
science teaching?
116 elementary school teachers;
55 teachers in experimental
group and 61 in comparison
group drawn from two
California school districts; both
schools have approximately the
same population of free or
reduced price lunch and ELL
6
implementation of professional
learning communities in a
large suburban high school
Qualitative; to determine how
high school teachers perceive
professional learning
communities before and after
their implementation in their
schools.
1) How do the professional
learning communities
influence retention and
achievement of students,
retention of teachers, and
teachers views of
leadership?
2) How do leadership practices
influence the development
and sustainability of PLCs
when collaboration and
empowerment is not
entrenched in the learning
environment?
3) How do teachers
perceptions change toward
student learning because of
the implementation of
PLCs?
4) How do teachers
perceptions change toward
school leadership because
of collaboration,
empowerment, and
communication of PLCs?
Eight teachers in a large
suburban high school who were
teaching at the school before the
implementation of PLCs and are
currently participating in PLCs.
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Methodology Survey study; PLC
development was measured
by the Professional
Examples: survey Learning Community
study, case study,
quasi-experimental,
Assessment survey;
comparison study, enabling school structures
longitudinal study, was measured by 12 item
meta-analysis, etc.
survey; collegial trust was
measured by Omnibus
Trust instrument 26-item
survey, and academic
emphasis was measured by
subscale of Organizational
Health Index, an eight-item
survey
Findings and Hypothesis one was
Conclusions supported; enabling
schools structures, collegial
trust, and academic
We call it findings emphasis were all
in qualitative
research and results
significantly correlated
in quantitative with professional learning
research. communities.
Hypothesis two was
partially supported;
enabling school structures
had a substantial effect on
professional learning
communities, while
academic emphasis had a
smaller effect and collegial
trust did not have an effect
at all.
Points of School structures can help or hinder ; Teachers are given an opportunity to
Convergence or
Divergence teachers who find their school
First: structures helpful characterize them
as more participative and involving
high professional activity.
7
Non-Equivalent Control Group Narrative ethnographic study;
experiment; Personal Self- study participants were asked a
Efficacy and Outcome series of open-ended semi-
Expectancy were measured structured interview questions
quantitatively through the related to the research questions.
Teaching of Science as Inquiry
(TSI) instrument twice during
the study; participants were
interviewed for 20 minutes each
on year following the end of the
study
Comparison of pre and post TSI PLCs have helped teachers to
data showed a statistically develop professionally,
significant shift in personal minimizing teacher isolation and
self-efficacy and outcome increasing collegiality and
expectancy in the experimental learning for all participants.
group which was attributable to
the professional learning PLCs provide participants with
community within the increased opportunities to
experimental group. communicate and collaborate.
Survey data indicated that For PLCs to be effective, they
teachers evinced fear and must be organized through
avoidance of science teaching departments or subgroups
because they felt unprepared to because of the close social and
teach it, did not feel they had collegial bonds that grow
sufficient time to teach, did not between participants.
have positive experiences with
science as students themselves, PLCs depend upon strong team
and/or did not feel science to be leaders who have a vision for
a valuable part of the what should be accomplished
curriculum. through the PLC and how those
goals should be attained.
These same teachers expressed
that participation in the PLC
empowered them by giving
them hands on experience with
conducting science
demonstrations and by enabling
teachers to provide emotional
and social support.
Most teachers would go to the end of the
implement a consensually-agreed upon earth for an administrator who allows
course of action and to observe and reflect them to share in decision-making.
on the results of their work.
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Principals may empower teachers Results document a significant shift in PLC instills a sense of empowerment,
Second:
by encouraging initiative and personal self-efficacy that can be attributed purpose, and accountability.

fostering trust to the PLC.

Formal organization structures PLCs will require major policy decisions The consensus on this campus is that
Third:
appear to be a necessary condition including 1) school staffing policies that leadership is the critical component of a

for community building. provide teachers with the time, space and successful PLC.

incentives to take on expanded

professional roles

The correlation of PLCs with This form of collaborative effort and the For PLCs to be effective in schools,
Fourth:
Collegial Trust which is moderate emotional reinforcement it engendered they must be organized through

to strong in a positive direction as seemed to be an unexpected outcome for professional subgroups or departments

well as significant. some teachers. because teachers develop a sense of

allegiance and a close social culture with

their colleagues.