Advertisement

Journal of Educational Change

, Volume 19, Issue 4, pp 463–488 | Cite as

Transformational change in instruction with professional learning communities? The influence of teacher cultural disposition in high power distance contexts

  • Daphnee Hui Lin Lee
  • Wing On Lee
Article
First Online:

Abstract

This mixed-methods study employed Hargreaves and Fullan’s (Professional capital: transforming teaching in every school, Teachers College Press, New York, 2012) concept of professional capital to re-examine whether professional learning communities (PLCs) transformed instructional practices in contexts that endorse hierarchical cultures. PLCs that facilitate transformational change in instructional practices empower teachers to embrace ambiguity, conflict, and risk to improve both student and teacher development. In contrast, PLCs that disseminate instructions for implementation produce reifying change. The findings illustrated that, in Singapore’s hierarchical cultural context, teachers participating in PLCs with high professional capital demonstrated transformational practice. These PLCs differed from most others in teacher cultural disposition toward uncertainty, unequal relationships, and risk. The findings imply that PLCs have the potential to support transformational change in practice, even when the cultural context endorses hierarchical relationships. However, this potential is moderated by the teacher cultural dispositions that prevail in PLCs. PLCs that possessed medium professional capital were the majority, demonstrating efforts to reify instructional change. Low professional capital PLCs also differed in teacher cultural disposition from the middle majority, but demonstrated neither the transformational practices of high professional capital PLCs, nor the reifying practices of medium professional capital PLCs. Recommendations are given in this paper to PLCs situated in similar hierarchical cultures on the types of adjustments required to support transformational change in practice.

Keywords

Professional capital Professional learning communities Power distance Risk taking Transformational instructional change Uncertainty avoidance Mixed-methods design with validated instruments 

Abbreviations

AST

Academy of Singapore Teachers

AVE

Average variance extracted

CFA

Confirmatory factor analysis

CVSCALE

Cultural Values Scale

EFA

Exploratory factor analysis

EPLC

Effective professional learning community (questionnaire)

PCA

Principal component analysis

PLCA-R

Professional learning community assessment-revised (questionnaire)

PCO

Personal cultural orientation (scale)

PLC

Professional learning community

This is a preview of subscription content, log in to check access.

Notes

Acknowledgements

We would like to express our deep appreciation and gratitude to the following research partners and collaborators that made the publication of this manuscript possible: Research collaborators of 28605318 “Teacher Leadership: Influences of Chinese Contexts on the Capacity of Professional Learning Communities to Empower the Classroom Teacher” for their critical comments on the conceptualization of the paper. Research team of OER18/12LWO “A Value-Mediated Approach to Profiling Professional Learning Communities in Singapore Schools”, especially Dr. Flora Hoi Kwan Ning, for the research work that made the publication of this article possible. The Academy of Singapore Teachers for endorsing and supporting this effort. “Intercultural Studies Area of Strength”, and “Big Data for School Improvement” team members, The Education University of Hong Kong, for their respective suggestions on the conceptualization of cultural dispositions, and on the publication of the validated mixed-methods instruments. Our reviewers, whose solid feedback significantly enhanced the rigor of the manuscript. We are touched by their generosity in sharing expertise and suggestions on how comments can be addressed. The Journal of Educational Change editorial team. Thank you for giving us an opportunity to publish in this journal that we both like and respect.

Supplementary material

10833_2018_9328_MOESM1_ESM.docx (308 kb)
Supplementary material 1 (DOCX 308 kb)
10833_2018_9328_MOESM2_ESM.docx (31 kb)
Supplementary material 2 (DOCX 32 kb)

References

  1. Academy of Singapore Teachers. (2010). Schools as professional learning communities. PLC team, training and development division. Singapore: Ministry of Education.Google Scholar
  2. Bolam, R., McMahon, A., Stoll, L., Thomas, S., & Wallace, M. (2005). Creating and sustaining effective professional learning communities. Bristol: University of Bristol.Google Scholar
  3. Charmaz, K. (2011). Grounded theory in the 21st century: Applications for advancing social justice studies. In N. K. Denzin & Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.), The Sage handbook of qualitative research (4th ed., pp. 359–380). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
  4. Cheng, A. Y., & Szeto, E. (2016). Teacher leadership development and principal facilitation: Novice teachers’ perspectives. Teaching and Teacher Education, 58, 140–148.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  5. Cheung, H. Y., & Chan, A. W. H. (2009). Education and competitive economy: How do cultural dimensions fit in? Higher Education, 59, 525–541.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  6. Creswell, J. W. (2012). Educational research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research (4th ed.). Boston: Pearson New International Edition.Google Scholar
  7. DuFour, R., DuFour, R., & Eaker, R. (2012). Revisiting professional learning communities at work: New insights for improving schools. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press.Google Scholar
  8. Flyvbjerg, B. (2006). Five misunderstandings about case-study research. Qualitative Inquiry, 12(2), 219–245.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  9. Franke, R. H., Hofstede, G., & Bond, M. H. (1991). Cultural roots of economic performance: A research note. Strategic Management Journal, 12(S1), 165–173.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  10. Fullan, M. (2007). The new meaning of educational change. New York: Routledge.Google Scholar
  11. Glaser, B. G., & Strauss, A. L. (2009). The discovery of grounded theory: Strategies for qualitative research. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction.Google Scholar
  12. Hairon, S., & Tan, C. (2016). Professional learning communities in Singapore and Shanghai: Implications for teacher collaboration. Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, 47(1),  91–104.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  13. Hall, E. T. (1966). The hidden dimension. New York, NY: Doubleday.Google Scholar
  14. Hargreaves, A., & Fullan, M. (2012). Professional capital: Transforming teaching in every school. New York: Teachers College Press.Google Scholar
  15. Harris, A., & Jones, M. (2010). Professional learning communities and system improvement. Improving Schools, 13(2), 172–181.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  16. Harris, A., & Jones, M. (2011). Professional learning communities in action. London: Leannta.Google Scholar
  17. Hofstede, G. (2001). Culture’s consequences: Comparing values, behaviors, institutions and organizations across nations. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
  18. Holstein, J. A., & Gubrium, J. F. (2011). The constructivist analytics of interpretive practice. In N. K. Denzin & Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.), The Sage handbook of qualitative research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
  19. Hord, S. M. (1997). Professional learning communities: Communities of continuous inquiry and improvement. Austin, TX: Southwest Educational Development Laboratory.Google Scholar
  20. Hordern, J. (2014). The logic and implications of school-based teacher formation. British Journal of Educational Studies, 62(3), 231–248.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  21. Jamaludin, A., & Hung, D. W. L. (2016). Digital learning trails: Scaling technology-facilitated curricular innovation in schools with a rhizomatic lens. Journal of Educational Change, 17(3), 355–377.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  22. LeChasseur, K., Mayer, A., Welton, A., & Donaldson, M. (2015). Situating teacher inquiry: A micropolitical perspective. School Effectiveness and School Improvement, 27(2), 255–274.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  23. Lee, D. (2017). Managing Chineseness as identity grafting. Managing Chineseness: Identity and ethnic management in Singapore. London: Palgrave Macmillan.Google Scholar
  24. Lee, D., & Lee, W. O. (2013). A professional learning community for the new teacher professionalism: The case of a state-led initiative in Singapore schools. British Journal of Educational Studies, 61(4), 435–451. CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  25. Lee, J. C. K., Zhang, Z., & Yin, H. (2011). A multilevel analysis of the impact of a professional learning community, faculty trust in colleagues and collective efficacy on teacher commitment to students. Teaching and Teacher Education, 27(5), 820–830.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  26. Lieberman, A., & Pointer Mace, D. H. (2008). Teacher learning: The key to educational reform. Journal of Teacher Education, 59(3), 226–234. CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  27. Louis, K. S., & Lee, M. (2016). Teachers’ capacity for organizational learning: The effects of school culture and context. School Effectiveness and School Improvement, 27(4), 534–556.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  28. McLaughlin, M. W., & Talbert, J. E. (2006). Building school-based teacher learning communities: Professional strategies to improve student achievement (Vol. 45). New York: Teachers College Press.Google Scholar
  29. McSweeney, B. (2016). Collective cultural mind programming: Escaping from the cage. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 29(1), 66–80.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  30. Ministry of Education. (2016). Enhancing your strengths—Career tracks. Retrieved from https://www.moe.gov.sg/careers/teach/career-information. Accessed 6 Aug 2018.
  31. Minkov, M., & Hofstede, G. (2011). The evolution of Hofstede’s doctrine. Cross Cultural Management: An International Journal, 18(1), 10–20.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  32. Mintrop, R., & Charles, J. (2017). The formation of teacher work teams under adverse conditions: Towards a more realistic scenario for schools in distress. Journal of Educational Change, 18(1), 49–75.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  33. Ning, H. K., Lee, D., & Lee, W. O. (2016). The relationship between teacher value orientations and engagement in professional learning communities. Teachers and Teaching, 22(2), 235–254.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  34. Olivier, D. F., & Hipp, K. K. (2010). Assessing and analyzing schools as professional learning communities. In K. K. Hipp & J. B. Huffman (Eds.), Demystifying professional learning communities (pp. 29–41). Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield.Google Scholar
  35. Philpott, C., & Oates, C. (2017). Professional learning communities as drivers of educational change: The case of learning rounds. Journal of Educational Change, 18(1), 209–234.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  36. Senge, P. (2000). Schools that learn. New York, NY: Currency.Google Scholar
  37. Sharma, P. (2010). Measuring personal cultural orientations: Scale development and validation. Journal of Marketing Science, 38, 787–806.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  38. Simons, H. (2015). Interpret in context: Generalizing from the single case in evaluation. Evaluation, 21(2), 173–188.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  39. Stoll, L., Bolam, R., McMahon, A., Wallace, M., & Thomas, S. (2006). Professional learning communities: A review of the literature. Journal of Educational Change, 7, 221–258.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  40. Strauss, A., & Corbin, J. (2005). Grounded theory methodology: An overview. In C. Pole (Ed.), Fieldwork: Analysis, outcomes and reflections (Vol. 4, pp. 22–43). London: Sage.Google Scholar
  41. Tan, C., & Ng, P. T. (2007). Dynamics of change: Decentralised centralism of education in Singapore. Journal of Educational Change, 8(2), 155–168.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  42. Thorsen, C. A., & DeVore, S. (2013). Analyzing reflection on/for action: A new approach. Reflective Practice, 14(1), 88–103.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  43. Toh, Y. (2016). Leading sustainable pedagogical reform with technology for student-centred learning: A complexity perspective. Journal of Educational Change, 17(2), 145–169.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  44. Towndrow, P. A., Silver, R. E., & Albright, J. (2010). Setting expectations for educational innovations. Journal of Educational Change, 11(4), 425–455.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  45. Trompenaars, F., & Hampden-Turner, C. (1998). Riding the waves of culture: Understanding diversity in global business. New York: McGraw-Hill.Google Scholar
  46. Vanblaere, B., & Devos, G. (2015). Exploring the link between experienced teachers’ learning outcomes and individual and professional learning community characteristics. School Effectiveness and School Improvement, 27(2), 205–227.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  47. 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, 80–91.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  48. Wells, G. (2002). Inquiry as an orientation for learning, teaching and teacher education. In G. Wells & G. Claxton (Eds.), Learning for life in the 21st century (pp. 197–210). Hoboken: Blackwell Publishing.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  49. Wells, C. M., & Feun, L. (2013). Educational change and professional learning communities: A study of two districts. Journal of Educational Change, 14(2), 233–257.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  50. Yoo, B., Donthu, N., & Lenartowicz, T. (2011). Measuring Hofstede’s five dimensions of cultural values at the individual level: Development and validation of CVSCALE. Journal of International Consumer Marketing, 23, 193–210.Google Scholar
  51. Zhang, J., & Pang, N. S. K. (2016). Exploring the characteristics of professional learning communities in China: A mixed-method study. The Asia-Pacific Education Researcher, 25(1), 11–21.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

Copyright information

© Springer Nature B.V. 2018

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.The Education University of Hong KongHong Kong SARChina
  2. 2.Zhengzhou UniversityZhengzhouChina

Personalised recommendations

Cite article

Buy options