Professional Learning Community: A Study of Teachers’ Perceptions in Pakistan

The study highlights the perception of teachers on Professional Learning Community. Professional Learning Community (PLC) focuses on learning rather teaching, collaborative work and holding teachers accountable for results. PLC ensures that students learn, teachers create a culture of collaboration and the focus is on results. For this, quantitative research approach was used. A standardized questionnaire on Professional Learning Community designed by Huffman was selected for data collection. The questionnaire has five sections based on the five major dimensions of PLC which are shared and supportive leadership, shared values and vision, collective learning and application of learning, shared personal practice and supportive conditions (collegial relationships and structures). A total of 100 teachers were taken as sample after pilot testing. Five hypotheses were constructed on the five dimensions of PLC and were tested through regression analysis. The results show that the teachers although having a collaborative environment are unaware of the Professional Learning Community. They are reluctant in accepting the feedback from their staff and colleagues. They preferred to work in isolation rather having a shared knowledge. Assessments are for learning; however, teachers accepted that learning is restricted to marks only. When putting into practice, PLC can be seen as a positive experience for all stake holders.