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Effects of leadership practices on professional learning communities: the mediating role of trust in colleagues

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Abstract

The building of professional learning communities has been widely recognized as an effective strategy for schools wanting to improve student performance and enhance teachers’ professional capacity. This study explored the relationship between leadership practices and professional learning communities, with a particular focus on the mediating role of trust in colleagues within the context of mainland China. A total of 215 primary school teachers in a province of southwestern China participated in the study. The results showed that leadership practices and trust in colleagues had positive effects on five factors of professional learning communities, namely a shared sense of purpose, collaborative activity, collective focus on student learning, deprivatized practice, and reflective dialog. Trust in colleagues also mediated the influence of leadership practices on professional learning communities. The implications for facilitating professional learning communities in mainland China are discussed here.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Education, Southwest University, Beibei, Chongqing, 400715, China

    Xin Zheng

  2. Department of Curriculum and Instruction, Faculty of Education, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, N.T., Hong Kong SAR, China

    Hongbiao Yin

  3. Department of Educational Psychology, Faculty of Education, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, N.T., Hong Kong SAR, China

    Yuan Liu

  4. The Institute of Curriculum and Instruction, East China Normal University, No. 3663 Zhongshan North Road, Shanghai, 200062, China

    Zheng Ke

Authors
  1. Xin Zheng
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  2. Hongbiao Yin
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  3. Yuan Liu
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  4. Zheng Ke
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hongbiao Yin.

Appendix: The scales and items used in the study

Appendix: The scales and items used in the study

Leadership Practices Scale (LPS)

Principal in this school:

  1. 1.

    Giving staff a sense of overall purpose.

  2. 2.

    Developing school vision to staff and students.

  3. 3.

    Assistant with short-term goal setting for teaching and learning.

  4. 4.

    Demonstrating high expectations for staff.

  5. 5.

    Giving staff support to improve teaching practice.

  6. 6.

    Modeling a high level of professional practice.

  7. 7.

    Showing caring and trust for me.

  8. 8.

    Attaching importance to teacher professional development.

  9. 9.

    Improving recruitment and retention of staff.

  10. 10.

    Encouraging collaborative work among staff.

  11. 11.

    Planning and working with family and community.

  12. 12.

    Improving internal review of procedures.

  13. 13.

    Strategic allocating resources.

  14. 14.

    Working in collaboration with other schools.

  15. 15.

    Restructuring the organization to facilitate work.

  16. 16.

    Providing resources and technical assistance to help staff improve instruction.

  17. 17.

    Regularly observing my classroom activities.

  18. 18.

    After classroom activities, working with teachers to improve instruction.

  19. 19.

    Buffering teachers from distractions.

  20. 20.

    Using evidence of his/her interest in students’ progress.

  21. 21.

    Clearly delivering the district policies.

Professional Learning Community Scale (PLCS)

  1. 1.

    Most of my colleagues share my beliefs and values about what the central mission of the school should be.

  2. 2.

    Our school goals and priorities are clear.

  3. 3.

    In this school, teachers and the administration are in close agreement on school discipline policy.

  4. 4.

    Within the current school year, I have frequently received useful suggestions for curriculum materials from colleagues in my department/division.

  5. 5.

    Within the current school year, I have frequently received useful suggestions for teaching techniques and/or student activities from colleagues in my department/division.

  6. 6.

    In our school, there is a great deal of cooperative effort among staff members on teaching and learning.

  7. 7.

    I make a conscious effort to coordinate the content of my courses with other teachers.

  8. 8.

    I meet regularly with colleagues to plan lessons, develop curriculum, evaluate programs, or engage in other collaborative work.

  9. 9.

    The development of students’ high-level skills (reasoning, problem-solving, critical and creative thinking) is an important goal in my teaching.

  10. 10.

    In our school, teachers focus on what and how well students are learning rather than on how they are teaching.

  11. 11.

    Teachers in this school provide authentic teaching and learning for their students.

  12. 12.

    A focused school vision for student learning is shared by most staff in this school.

  13. 13.

    Two or more of my colleagues frequently observe my students’ academic performance or review grades/test scores.

  14. 14.

    During the current school year, I have frequently visited another teacher’s classroom to observe and discuss his/her teaching (excluding monitoring students or substitute teachers).

  15. 15.

    During the current school year, another teacher has frequently visited my classroom to observe my teaching (exclude visit by student teachers or those required for formal evaluations).

  16. 16.

    During the current school year, I frequently received meaningful feedback on my performance from supervisors or peers.

  17. 17.

    In a typical planning period with other teachers, we discuss problems of specific students and arrange appropriate help.

  18. 18.

    In a typical planning period with other teachers, we discuss teaching practices and behaviors of team members.

Trust in Colleagues (TiC)

  1. 1.

    Teachers in this school typically look out for each other.

  2. 2.

    Even in difficult situations, teachers in this school can depend on each other.

  3. 3.

    Teachers in this school have faith in the integrity of their colleagues.

  4. 4.

    Teachers in this school do their jobs well.

  5. 5.

    Teachers in this school are open with each other.

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Zheng, X., Yin, H., Liu, Y. et al. Effects of leadership practices on professional learning communities: the mediating role of trust in colleagues. Asia Pacific Educ. Rev. 17, 521–532 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12564-016-9438-5

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