Abstract
This study aimed to explore the role of essential leadership styles of school principals in encouraging teachers’ participation in professional learning communities (PLCs) in basic education schools in northeastern Thailand. It aimed to identify the nine leadership styles practiced by school principals and teachers’ participation in PLCs, and to examine the relationship between them, utilizing a quantitative survey design with a questionnaire instrument that was returned by 731 respondents out of 750 distributed. Descriptive statistics were used to examine the perceived level of all variables and inferential statistics, applying Pearson’s correlation coefficient and multiple regression to examine the relationships between the variables. The findings indicate that school principals are highly involved in practicing the nine leadership styles and teachers were also greatly participating in PLCs. Teachers’ participation in PLCs was significantly related to the nine leadership styles at significance level of 0.05. The results also show that there were four significant predictors, namely learning, transformational, collaborative, and invitational leadership, which together contributed 55.6 % of the variance in teachers’ participation in PLCs. These findings contribute significantly to knowledge by proposing essential leadership styles that guide school principals in promoting teachers’ participation in PLCs, which in turn will improve students’ learning.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Babbie, E. (2002). The basic of social research (2nd ed.). Boston: Thomson Learning, Inc.
Barber, M., Whelan, F., & Clark, M. (2010). Capturing the leadership premium. McKinsey & Company. http://mckinseyonsociety.com/capturing-the-leadership-premium/. Accessed Nov 12, 2016.
Blankstein, A. M. (2004). Failure is not an option: Six principles that guide student achievement in high-performing schools. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press & Hope Foundation.
Bolman, L. G., & Deal, T. E. (1991). Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice and leadership. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Borman, G. (2012). The senior urban education research fellowship series Volume VIII: An examination of professional learning communities in St. Paul Public Schools. Washington, DC: The Council of the Great City Schools.
Brown, M. E., & Trevino, L. K. (2006). Ethical leadership: A review and future directions. The Leadership Quarterly, 17, 595–616.
Bush, T. (2011). Succession planning in England: New leaders and new forms of leadership. School Leadership and Management, 31(3), 181–198.
Chiangkul, W. (2010). Science and arts of leadership in the new age. Bangkok: Saithan Publishing.
Chow, A. W. K. (2013). Professional learning communities in three subject departments in Hong Kong secondary schools. International Journal of Arts & Sciences, 6.4(2013), 233–245.
Chrislip, D., & Larson, C. (1994). Collaborative leadership: How citizens and civic leaders can make a difference. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Coleman, C. (2005). Teachers’ perceptions of administrative leadership styles and schools as professional learning communities. http://libproxy.library.unt.edu:2587/dissertations/preview_all/3175814. Accessed Dec 7, 2015.
Collins, D. L. (2007). K-12 standards-based reform implementation: Site-level shared roles of leadership: A case study. http://library.unt.edu:2587/pqdweb?index=34&did=1303294881&SrchMode=1&sid=4&Fmt=14&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1190582993&clientld=87. Accessed Sept 23, 2007.
Covin, J. G., & Slevin, D. P. (1991). A conceptual model of entrepreneurship as firm behavior. Entrepreneurship Theory & Practice, 16(1), 7–25.
Darling-Hammond, L. (1998). Teacher learning that supports student learning. Educational Leadership, 55(5), 6–11.
Darling-Hammond, L. (2000). Studies of excellence in teacher education: Preparation in the undergraduate years. Washington, DC: AACTE Publications.
Davies, B. (2009). The essentials of school leadership. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publication Inc.
Davies, B., & Davies, B. J. (2009). Strategic leadership. In B. Davies (Ed.), The essentials of school leadership (2nd ed., pp. 13–36). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publication Inc.
Day, C., Sammons, P., Hopkins, D., Harris, A., Leithwood, K., Gu, Q., et al. (2010). 10 strong claims about successful school leadership. Nottingham: College for Leadership of Schools and Children’s Services.
De Vaus, D. (2002). Analysing social science data. London: Sage.
Den Hartog, D. N., House, R. J., Hanges, P. J., Ruiz-Quintanilla, S. A., & Dorfman, P. W. (1999). Culturally specific and cross-culturally generalizable implicit leadership theories: Are attributes of charismatic/transformational leadership universally endorsed? The Leadership Quarterly, 10, 219–226.
Dirks, K. T., & Ferrin, D. L. (2002). Trust in leadership: Meta-analytic findings and implications for research and practice. Journal of Applied Psychology, 87, 611–628.
Drucker, P. F. (2006). Innovation and entrepreneurial leadership. Business Quarterly, 59(summer), 71–76.
DuFour, R., & Eaker, R. (1998). Professional learning communities at work: Best practices for enhancing student achievement. Bloomington, IN: National Educational Service.
DuFour, R., Eaker, R., & DuFour, R. (2005). Closing the knowing-doing gap. In R. DuFour, R. Eaker, & R. DuFour (Eds.), On common ground: The power of professional learning communities (pp. 225–254). Bloominton, IN: National Educational Service.
Eaker, R., DuFour, R., & Bumette, R. (2002). Getting started: Reculturing schools to become professional learning community. Bloomington, IN: National Educational Service.
Earley, P., & Porritt, V. (2010). Effective practices in continuing professional development: Lessons from schools. London: Institute of Education.
Fullan, M. (2001). The new meaning of educational change (3rd ed.). New York: Teachers College Press.
Fulmer, R., Stumpf, S., & Bleak, J. (2009). The strategic development of high potential leader. Strategy & Leadership, 37(3), 17–22.
Gaspar, S. L. (2010). Leadership and the professional learning community. Educational administration: Thesis, Dissertations, and Student Research. Paper 43. http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cehsedaddiss/43. Accessed Sept 8, 2016.
Glass, G. V., & Hopkins, K. D. (1984). Statistical methods in education and psychology (2nd ed.). New Jersey: Prentice-Hall.
Greenstein, F. (2004). The presidential difference: Leadership style from FDR to George W. Bush. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
Hall, J., Johnson, S., Wysocki, A., Kepner, K., Farnsworth, D., & Clark, J. L. (2015). Transformational of managers and associates. HR020, one of a series of the Food and Resource Economics Department, UF/IFAS Extension. Original publication date June 2002, Revised October 2015. http://edis.ifas.ufi.edu. Accessed Sept 7, 2016.
Hargreaves, A., & Fink, D. (2003). The seven principles of sustainable leadership. http://www2c.bc.edu/~hargrean/docs/seven_principles.pdf. Accessed Sept 8, 2016
Hargreaves, A., & Fink, D. (2004). The seven principles of sustainable leadership. Leading in Tough Times, 61(7), 8–13.
Hord, S. (1997). Professional learning communities: What are they and why are they important? Issues about change (Vol. 6, No. 1). Austin, TX: Southwest Educational Development Laboratory.
Hoyle, E., & Wallace, M. (2005). Educational leadership: Ambiguity, professionals and managerialism. London: Sage.
Huffman, J., & Hipp, K. (2003). Reculturing schools as professional learning communities. Lanham, MA: Scarecrow Education.
Joyce, B., & Showers, B. (2002). Student achievement through staff development. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Jummeang, J. (2005). The model of effective leadership administrators under Bangkok Metropolitan.(Unpublished Master dissertation). Cholburi, Buerapha University.
Kaewdang, R. (2003). Juristic person school. Bangkok: Watanapanich.
King, A. (2002). Leaders’ personalities and the outcomes of democratic elections. New York: Oxford University Press.
Knight, P. (2002). Summative assessment in higher education: Practices in disarray. Studies in Higher Education, 27(3), 275–286.
Kohlreiser, G. (2013). Learning leadership. IMD Real World Real Learning.
Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B. Z. (2016). Learning leadership: The five fundamentals of becoming an exemplary leader. San Francisco: Wiley.
Leclear, E. A. (2005). Relationship among leadership styles, school culture, and student achievement. (Unpublished Ed.D dissertation). University of Florida, USA
Leithwood, K. (1994). Leadership for school restructuring. Educational Administration Quarterly, 30(4), 498–518.
Leithwood, K., Jantzi, D., & Steinbach, R. (1999). Changing leadership for changing times. Buckingham: Open University Press.
Lynch, M. (2012). Invitational leadership: An essential guide. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/matthew-lynch-edd/invitational-leadership-essential-guide_b_1861139.html. Accessed Dec 3, 2015.
May, R. (n.d.). Strategic leadership for executives. BusinessDictionary.com—Online Business Dictionary. http://www.businessdictionary.com/article/682/strategic-leadership-for-executive/. Accessed Dec 3, 2015.
McAllister, D. J. (1995). Affect- and cognition-based trust as foundations for interpersonal cooperation in organizations. Academy of Management Journal, 38, 24–59.
McGuire, M. (2006). Collaborative public management: Assessing what we know and how we know it. Public Administration Review, 66(33–43), 2016. doi:10.1111/j.1540-6210.2006.000664.x.
Ministry of Education. (2010). Manual of strategic planning for the world class standard schools. Bangkok: Union Agricultural Cooperation of Thailand.
Monahan, K. (2012). A review of the literature concerning ethical leadership in organizations. Emerging Leadership Journeys, 5(1), 56–66.
National Staff Development Council. (2001). Standards for staff development, revised. Oxford, OH: NSDC.
Northhouse, P. G. (2001). Leadership theory and practice. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.
Nye, J, Jr. (2008). The powers to lend. New York: Oxford University Press.
Office of National Education Commission. (2002). The 1999 National Education Act, Amendment 2001. Bangkok: Ror. Por: Sor.
Office of Secretary Education Council. (2010). Research and development of policy for teacher and educational staff development. Bangkok.
Orland-Barak, L. (2006). Convergent, divergent and parallel dialogues: Knowledge construction in professional conversations. Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice, 12(1), 13–31.
Pfeffer, J. (1992). Managing with power: Politics and influence in organizations. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.
Purkey, W., & Novak, J. (2008). Fundamental of invitational education. Kennesaw, GA: The International Alliance for Invitational Education.
Purkey, W., & Siegel, B. (2003). Becoming an invitational leader: A new approach to professional and personal success. Atlanta, GA: Humantics.
Putnam, R. T., & Borko, H. (1997). Teaching learning: Implications of new views of cognition. In B. J. Biddle, T. L. Good, & I. Goodson (Eds.), International handbook of teachers and teaching (pp. 1223–1226). Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic.
Quong, T., & Walker, A. (2010). Seven principles of strategic leadership. ISEA, 38(1), 22–33.
Reeves, D. (2006). The learning leader: How to focus school improvement for better results. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Roonchareon, T. (2007). Professionalism in the management and administration of education: Educational reform age. Bangkok: Khao Fang.
Rubin, I.E. (2002). How to build trust in business. http://robinelliot.com/2011/09/to-build-trust-in-business. Accessed Sept 4, 2016.
Samriangjit, P., Tesaputa, K., & Somprach, K. (2016). Strengthening collaborative leadership for Thai primary school administrators. International Education Studies, 9(4), 42–53.
Saratna, W. (2014). Leadership and various contemporary perspectives. Bangkok: Tipborisut.
Scoggins, K. T. (2008). The impact of leadership capacity and style on professional learning communities in schools. (Unpublished Ed.D dissertation). University of North Texas, USA.
Sekaran, U. (2006). Research methods for business: A skill building approach (4th ed.). New York: Wiley.
Servais, K., Sanders, K., & Derrington, M. L. (2009). Professional learning communities: Concepts in action in a principal preparation program, an elementary school team, a leadership team, and a business partnership. International Journal of Educational Leadership Preparation, 4(2). http://cnx.org/content/m21925/1.1html. Accessed Dec 3, 2015.
Sirisooksilp, S., Ariratana, W., & Tang, K. N. (2015). The impact of leadership styles of school administrators on affecting teacher effectiveness. Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences, 186, 1031–1037.
Somprach, K., Ariratana, W., & Tang, K. N. (2013). Indicators of ethical leadership for school principals in Thailand. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 93, 2085–2089.
Sparks, D. (2005). Leading for transformation in teaching, learning and relationships. In R. DuFour & R. Eaker (Eds.), On common ground: The power of professional learning communities (pp. 155–175). Bloomington, IN: National Education Service.
Starratt, R. J. (2004). Ethical leadership. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Stillion, J., & Siegel, B. (November, 2005). Expanding invitational leadership: Roles for the Decathlon Leader. http://www.kennesaw.edu/ilec/Journal/articles/2005/siegel_stillion/expand_leadership/exp.Accessed Sept 7, 2016.
Stoll, L., & Louis, K. S. (2007). Professional learning communities. Elaborating new approaches. In L. Stoll & K. S. Louis (Eds.), Professional learning communities. Divergence, depth and dilemma (pp. 1–14). Buckingham: OUP.
Sustainability Leadership Institute (2011). Sustainable Leadership. Retrieved from http://www.sustainabilityleadershipinstitute.org. Accessed Dec 3, 2015
Tesaputa, K. (2011). System theory and education applying. Maha Sarakham: Educational Administration, Graduate School, Maha Sarakham University, Thailand.
Thailand Ministry of Education. (2003). Basic education school management as a legal entity. Bangkok: Kurusapha Ladprao.
Vescio, V., Ross, D., & Adams, A. (2008). A review of research on the impact of professional learning communities on teaching practice and student learning. Teaching and Teacher Education, 24(1), 80–91.
Wagner, T. (2001). Leadership for learning: An action theory of school change. http://www.tonywagner.com/210. Accessed Dec 3, 2015
Webber, C. F., & Scott, S. (2008). Entrepreneurship and educational leadership development: Canadian and Australian perspectives. International Electronic Journal for Leadership in Learning, 12(14).
Wilson, B. (2012). ‘Learning’ city-regions revisited: A new way forward. Melbourne: Melbourne Knowledge Week.
Yamane, T. (1970). Statistic: An introductory analysis. Tokyo: Harper International Edition.
Youngs, P., & King, M. (2002). Principal leadership for professional development to build school capacity. Educational Administration Quarterly, 38(5), 643–670.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Somprach, K., Tang, K.N. & Popoonsak, P. The relationship between school leadership and professional learning communities in Thai basic education schools. Educ Res Policy Prac 16, 157–175 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10671-016-9206-7
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10671-016-9206-7