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

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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.

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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

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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.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China

    Daphnee Hui Lin Lee

  2. Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China

    Wing On Lee

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  1. Daphnee Hui Lin Lee
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Correspondence to Daphnee Hui Lin Lee.

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Lee, D.H.L., Lee, W.O. Transformational change in instruction with professional learning communities? The influence of teacher cultural disposition in high power distance contexts. J Educ Change 19, 463–488 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10833-018-9328-1

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