UPSI Digital Repository (UDRep)
Start | FAQ | About

QR Code Link :

Type :article
Subject :L Education (General)
Main Author :Tai Mei Kin
Additional Authors :Omar Abdull Kareem
Khalip bin Musa
Title :Examining professional learning communities in National-Type Chinese Primary Schools in Perak, Malaysia
Place of Production :Tanjong Malim
Publisher :Fakulti Pengurusan dan Ekonomi
Year of Publication :2019
Corporate Name :Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris
PDF Full Text :The author has requested the full text of this item to be restricted.

Abstract : Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris
Professional learning communities contribute greatly to teacher professionalization and school improvement. The purpose of the study was to examine the patterns of professional learning communities (PLCs) in the National-type Chinese Primary Schools (NCPSs) in Perak, Malaysia. A total of 630 head teachers, senior assistants and teachers completed the survey with usable data. The result revealed that, i) the NCPSs achieved the level of Quite Good in PLCs, in its two dimensions of Organization Factor and Non-Organizational Factor as well as its eight sub-dimensions; ii) the NCPSs achieved a higher mean score in Organization Factor than Non-Organizational Factor of PLCs and the difference was significant; iii) among all the sub-dimensions of PLCs, the NCPSs achieved the highest mean score in Head Teacher’s Commitment and Support; iv) among all the subdimensions of PLCs, the NCPSs achieved the lowest mean score in External Support System. The results indicated that the NCPSs in Perak needed to improve the implementation of PCLs so as to be effective in addressing school reforms.   

References

1. Ackerman, R. H., & Mackenzie, S. V. (2006). Uncovering teacher leadership. Educational Leadership, 6(8), 66–71.

2. Barth, R. S. (1990). Improving schools from within: teachers, parents and principals can make the difference. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

3. Bauman, C. (2015). A refreshing perspective on teacher leadership: How teacher leaders effectively combine the use of autonomy and collaboration to enhance school improvement. Leading and Managing, 21(2), 46–59.

4. Beachum, F., & Dentith, A. M. (2004). Teacher leaders creating cultures of school renewal and transformation. The Educational Forum, 68(3), 276-286, doi:10.1080/00131720 40898 4639

5. Billett, S. (2009). Conceptualizing learning experiences: Contributions and mediations of the social, personal and brute. Mind, Culture and Activity, 16, 32-47. Doi: 10.1080/10749030802477317

6. Chapman, J. D. (2005). Recruitment, retention, and development of school principals (Education Policy Series). Paris: UNESCO.

7. Cordingley, P. (2015). The contribution of research to teachers’ professional learning and development. Oxford Review of Education, 41 (2), 234–252. doi:10.1080/03054985.2015.1020105

8. Cowan, D., Joyner, S., & Beckwith, S. (2012). Getting serious about the system: A field book for district and school leaders. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

9. Darling-Hammond, L., Hyler, M.E., & Gardner, M. (2017). Effective teacher professional development. Palo Alto, CA: Learning Policy Institute

10. Desimone, L. M. (2009). Improving impact studies of teachers’ professional development:  Toward better conceptualizations and measures. Educational Researcher, 38(3), 181-199.

11. DuFour, R., & Eaker, R. (1998). Professional learning communities at work: Best practices for enhancing student achievement. Bloomington, IN: National Education Service.

12. Fornell, C., & Larcker, D. (1981). Structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error: Algebra and statistics. Journal of Marketing Research, 18(August), 382-388.

13. Fraenkel, J. R., & Wallen, N. E. (2009). How to design and evaluate research in education (3rd ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

14. Galland, C. (2008). Effective teacher leadership: A quantitative study of the relationships between school structures and effective teacher leaders. Unpublished Doctoral Thesis, University of Missouri, Columbia.

15. Hair, J. F., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J., & Anderson, R. E. (2010). Multivariate data analysis: A global perspective. New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall.

16. Hairon, S. (2016). Facilitation for professional learning community conversations in Singapore. Asia Pacific Journal of Education, 36(2), 285-300, doi:10.1080/02188791.2016.1148855

17. Hairon, S., & Dimmock, C. (2012). Singapore schools and professional learning communities: Teacher professional development and school leadership in an Asian hierarchical system. Educational Review, 64(4), 405–424.

18. Hargreaves, E., & Elhawary, D. (2019). Professional development through mutually respectful

19. relationship: senior teachers’ learning against the backdrop of hierarchical relationships’, Professional Development in Education, 45(1), 46-58. doi: org/10.1080/19415257. 2018.1500390

20. Harris, A. (2010). Leading system transformation. School Leadership and Management, 30(30), 197–207.

21. Harris, A., Jones, M., & Huffman, J. B. (2018). Teachers leading educational reform: The power of professional learning communities. London, UK: Routledge.

22. Hipp, K. K., & Huffman, J. B. (2010). Demystifying the concept of professional learning communities. In K. K. Hipp & J. B. Huffman (Eds.), Demystifying professional learning communities: School leadership at its best (pp. 11–22). New York, NY: Rowman & Littlefield Education.

23. Holmes-Smith, P. (2001). Introduction to Structural Equation Modelling using LISREAL. Perth: ACSPRI-Winter Training Program.

24. Hord, S. (1997). Professional learning communities: Communities of continuous inquiry and improvement. Austin, TX: Southwest Educational Development Laboratory (SEDL).

25. Hord, S. M., & Sommers, W. A. (2008). Leading professional learning communities: Voices from research and practice. Thousand Oaks: Corwin Press.

26. Huffman, J. B., & Jacobson, A. L. (2003). Perceptions of professional learning Communities’, International Journal of Leadership in Education, 6(3), 239-250. doi: org/10.1080/1360312022000017480

27. Institut Aminuddin Baki. (2018). Training programmes 2018. Genting Highlands: Institut Aminuddin Baki, Ministry of Education Malaysia.

28. Jensen, B. (2012). Catching up: Learning from the best school systems in East Asia. Sydney: Grattan Institute.

29. Juliana, M., & Arumugam, M. (2016, September 19). Ministry to cut teachers’ workload, stop resignations. Retrieved from https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/ 2016/09/19/ministry-to-cut-teachers-workload-stop-resignations/1208717

30. Keay, J. K., Carse, N., & & Jess, M. (2019). Understanding teachers as complex professional learners. Professional Development in Education, 45(1), 125-137.

31. Khalid, M.S., & Strange, M.H. (2016). School teacher professional development in online communities of practice: A systematic literature review. In: J. Novontá and A. Janaík, eds. Proceedings of the 15th European conference one-learning, Vol. 1. 1. Reading, UK: Academic Conferences and Publishing International, 605–614.

32. Kim, H., & Ju, Y. (2012). The significance and challenges of distributed leadership practice for building school-based professional learning community. The Journal of Research in Education, 43, 1-26.

33. King, F. (2016). Teacher professional development to support teacher professional learning: Systemic factors from Irish case studies. In: teacher development. 20(4), 574–594. doi:10.1080/13664530.2016.1161661

34. Kline, R. B. (2011). Principles and practice of Structural Equation Modelling (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Guilford.

35. Koffeman, A., & Snoek, M. (2018). Identifying context factors as a source for teacher professional learning. Professional Development in Education. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1080/19415257.2018.1557239

36. K r u s e , S . D . , L o u i s , K . S . , & B r y k , A . S . ( 1 9 9 5 ) . A n e m e r g i n g f r a m e w o r k f o r analysing school based professional community. In K. S. Louis & S. D. Kruse (Eds.), Professionalism and community: Perspectives on reforming urban schools (pp. 23–42). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin

37. Kuijpers, J. M., Houtveen, A.A.M., & van de Grift, W.J.C.M. (2019). Effects of professional support in school improvement. Educational Studies, 45(10), 113-130. doi: 10.1080/03055698.2018.1443798

38. Lee, K. (2011). The study on the roles of principal in professional learning community. The Journal of Educational Administration, 29(3), 95-221.

39. Lee, M., & Kim, J. (2016). The emerging landscape of school-based professional learning communities in South Korean schools. Asia Pacific Journal of Education, 36(2), 266-284.

40. Louis, K. S. (2008). Creating and sustaining professional communities. In A. M. Blankstein, P. D. Houston, & R. W. Cole (Eds.), Sustaining professional learning communities (pp. 41–57). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

41. Ministry of Education Malaysia. (2013). Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013-2025. Putrajaya: Ministry of Education Malaysia.

42. Ministry of Education Malaysia. (2015). Malaysia education blueprint 2013-2025: 2015 annual Report. Putrajaya: ministry of education malaysia.

43. Ministry of Education Malaysia. (2016). Malaysia education blueprint 2013-2025: 2016 annual report. Putrajaya: ministry of education malaysia.

44. Mitgang, L. (2012). The making of the principal: Five lessons in leadership training. New York, NY: The Wallace Foundation.

45. Muijs, D., & Harris, A. (2006). Teacher led school improvement: Teacher leadership in the UK. Teaching & Teacher Education: An International Journal of Research and Studies, 22(8), 961-972.

46. Ogawa, R. T., & Bossert, S. T. (1995). Leadership as an organizational quality. Educational Administration Quarterly, 31(2), 224–243.

47. Olivier, D. F., & Hipp, J. B. (2016). Professional learning community process in the United States: Conceptualization of the process and district support for schools. Asia Pacific Journal of Education, 36(2), 301-317.

48. Olivier, D. F., & Huffman, J. B. (2016). Professional learning community process in the United States: Conceptualization of the process and district support for schools. Asia Pacific Journal of Education, 36(2), 301-317.

49. Osmond-Johnson, P., Campbell, C., & Faubert, B. (2019). Supporting professional learning: the work of Canadian teachers’ organizations. Professional Development in Education, 45(1), 17-32. doi: 10.1080/19415257.2018.1486877

50. Pang, N. S., Wang, T., & Leung, L. (2016). Educational reforms and the practices of professional learning community in Hong Kong primary schools. Asia Pacific Journal of Education, 36(2), 231-247. doi: 10.1080/02188791.2016.1148852

51. Poekert, P. E. (2012). Teacher leadership and professional development: Examining links between two concepts central to school improvement. Professional Development in Education, 38(2), 169-188. doi: 10.1080/19415257.2012.657824

52. Pyhalto, K., Soini, T., & Pietarinena, J. (2011). A systemic perspective on school reform: Principals’ and chief education officers’ perspectives on school development. Journal of Educational Administration, 49(1), 46–61.

53. Qiao, X., Yu, S., & Zhang, L. (2018). A review of research on professional learning communities in mainland China (2006-2015): Key findings emerging themes. Educational Management Administration and Leadership, 46(5), 713-728. doi: 10.1177/1741143217707523

54. Raman, S. R., & Tan, Y. S. (2015). The development of Chinese education in Malaysia: Problems and challenges. The ISEAS working paper series, ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute.

55. Roudledge, (2018). Teachers leading educational reform (Publisher’s description of book) Retrieved from http://www. Routledge.com/Teachers-Leading-Educational-Reform-The Power-of-Professional –Learning/Harris-Jones-Huffman/p/book/9781138641068

56. Schaap, H., Louws, M., Meirink, J., Oolbekkink-Marchand, H., Van Der Want, A., Zuiker, I., Meijer, P. (2018). Tensions experienced by teachers when participating in a professional learning community. Professional Development in Education. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1080/19415257.2018.1547781

57. Seo, K. (2011). Collaborative professional development of online teacher community. The Journal of Korean Teacher Education, 28(1), 133-161.

58. Singh, G. S. B. (2009).The National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH) Programme for Secondary School Head Teachers in Malaysia: An Evaluative Case Study. Unpublished Doctoral Thesis, University of Birmingham

59. Sizer, T. R. (1992). Horace’s school: Redesigning the American high school. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

60. Spencer, E. J. (2016). Professional Learning Communities: Keeping the Focus on Instructional Practice. Kappa Delta Pi Record, 52 (2), 83-85, doi:10.1080/00228958.2016.1156544

61. Sperandio, J., & Kong, P. A. (2018). Forging professional learning communities: The role of external agency. International Journal of Leadership in Education, 21(1), 80-94, doi: 10.1080/13603124.2016.1182646

62. Stoll, L., Bolam, R., McMahon, A., Wallace, M., & Thomas, S. (2006). Professional learning communities: A review of the literature. Journal of Educational change, 7(4), 221-258.

63. Tai, M. K., & Omar, A. K. (2018). Headteacher change leadership competency: A study in Malaysian primary schools. Professional Development in Education. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1080/19415257.2018.1561494

64. Tai, M. K., & Omar, A. K. (2019). Professional learning communities: A comparison study between Day Secondary School and Fully Residential Secondary School in Malaysia, International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development, 8(2), 87-101.

65. Tai, M.K., Omar, A.K., & Ghouri, A.M. (2018). Developing a preliminary model on professional learning community in Malaysian secondary school (Unpublished research report which was funded by Fundamental Research Grant Scheme [Code: 2017-0196-107-01], Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia). Sultan Idris Education University, Perak Darul Ridzuan, Malaysia.

66. Thessin, R. A., & Starr, J. P. (2011). Supporting the growth of effective professional learning communities district wide. Phi Delta Kappan, 92, 48–54.

67. Timperley, H. (2008). Teacher professional learning and development. Educational Practices Series-18, International Bureau of Education, UNESCO.

68. Vangrieken, K., Meredith, C., Packer, T., & Kyndt, E. (2017). Teacher communities as a context for professional development: a systemic review. Teaching and Teacher Education, 61, 47-59. doi: org/10.1016/j.tate.2016.10.001

69. Wang, T. (2015). Contrived collegiality versus genuine collegiality: Demystifying professional learning communities in Chinese schools. Compare, 45(6), 908–930.

70. Wenger, E. (1998) Communities of practice: Learning, meaning, and identity. Cambridge. UK; New York: Cambridge University Press.

71. Zhang, J., & Pang, N.S.K. (2016). Investigating the development of professional learning communities: Compare schools in Shanghai and Southwest China. Asia Pacific Journal of Education, 36(2), 217–230.


This material may be protected under Copyright Act which governs the making of photocopies or reproductions of copyrighted materials.
You may use the digitized material for private study, scholarship, or research.

Back to previous page

Installed and configured by Bahagian Automasi, Perpustakaan Tuanku Bainun, Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris
If you have enquiries with this repository, kindly contact us at pustakasys@upsi.edu.my or Whatsapp +60163630263 (Office hours only)