Professional learning communities and teachers’ teaching practices

Abstract

The core curriculum in the Norwegian National Curriculum expresses that teachers must actively take part in professional learning communities to develop an innovative and professional teacher collaboration that contributes to increased teacher competence and improved teaching practice. This study is based on a directional hypothesis that teachers’ affiliation in professional learning communities and teachers’ self-confidence influence their teaching practices. This is a cross-sectional study, consisting of analyses of variance and regression of teacher-assessed variables from 20 primary schools in former Hedmark county. The results show that teachers consider their teaching practice to be relatively good, regardless of the strength they attribute to the professional learning community. Teachers' assessment of their self-confidence is more important than pro­fessional learning communities when it comes to their assessment of their teaching practices. However, the study reveals findings that indicate that professional learning communities are important, and the hypothesis of the study can be partially confirmed. There is stronger mutual explanatory power between the variables in schools where teachers perceive strong professional learning communities. In these schools, profes­sional learning communities and teachers’ self-confidence together can to a greater extent explain their assessment of their own teaching practice, compared to schools where professional learning communities are assessed as weak. It is essential to under­stand the development of professional learning communities as something more than reducing the influence of teachers as solo practitioners. Challenging and changing both collective and individual values, perceptions and patterns of action are also key factors. The school culture probably has an impact on how one acts as solo practitioners together with the students.