According to the literature and to international
politics, contemporary societies should learn how to respond immediately to
crises in the environment, the economy, in health etc., as well as to the rapid
socio-economic, demographic and technological developments on a global level.
Education has been placed at the center of this effort and teachers are at the
forefront. Within this context, educational administration promotes teachers’
lifelong Professional Development (PD), the
transformation of school units into Professional Lear- ning Communities (PLCs) and the strengthening of
school principals’ capacity for pedagogical leadership. The Greek educational
policy and school administration, having been formulated by long-standing and
deep-rooted centralized and bureaucratic procedures, has recently begun a
systematic effort to respond to the above international calls without much
success. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the extent to which efforts
for Greek schools to become learning
communities that support teachers’ lifelong PD have been successful and how
teachers, as recipients of these changes, perceive them. The research
results mainly showed that schools function to a moderate degree as PLCs while
school principals have moderately developed the appropriate leadership
practices which would support teachers’ PD through PLCs. The findings of the
study highlight the importance of the collaborative, supportive and pedagogical
role of school principals, as well as the need for reforms (e.g. in the design
and implementation of the school curriculum and school staffing strategy) and
for establishing support for learning networks in schools.
References
[1]
Ainley, J., & Carstens, R. (2018). Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) 2018 Conceptual Framework. OECD Publishing.
[2]
Alexopoulos, N., Babalis, T., Tsoli, K., & Deliodridou, S. (2023). The Pedagogical Role of the Primary-School Headteacher: Insights from Greece. International Journal of Educational Methodology, 9, 535-549. https://doi.org/10.12973/ijem.9.3.535
[3]
Avalos, B. (2011). Teacher Professional Development in Teaching and Teacher Education over Ten Years. Teaching and Teacher Education, 27, 10-20.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2010.08.007
[4]
Balasi, A., & Iordanidis, G. (2019). Greek Primary Education Schools as Learning Organisations: An Empirical Study in Greek Educational Context. International Studies in Educational Administration (Commonwealth Council for Educational Administration & Management (CCEAM)), 47, 53-69.
[5]
Bantwini, B. D. (2012). Primary School Science Teachers’ Perspectives Regarding Their Professional Development: Implications for School Districts in South Africa. Professional Development in Education, 38, 517-532.
https://doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2011.637224
[6]
Bass, B. M., & Avolio, B. J. (1997). Full Range Leadership Development: Manual for the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire. Mind Garden.
[7]
Bestias, G., & Balias, E. (2019). The Democratic Distributed Leadership in the Greek School: A Survey on the Leading Role of Teachers in School Units of the West Greece Region. Journal of Recent Research in Social Science and Humanities, 6, 32-38.
[8]
Caplan, B. (2018). The Case against Education: Why the Education System Is a Waste of Time and Money. Princeton University Press. https://doi.org/10.1515/9780691201436
[9]
Carpenter, D. (2015). School Culture and Leadership of Professional Learning Communities. International Journal of Educational Management, 29, 682-694.
https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEM-04-2014-0046
[10]
Christensen, A. A. (2022). A Global Measure of Professional Learning Communities. Professional Development in Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2022.2065516
[11]
Dascalaki, E. G., & Sermpetzoglou, V. G. (2011). Energy Performance and Indoor Environmental Quality in Hellenic Schools. Energy and Buildings, 43, 718-727.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2010.11.017
[12]
De Neve, D., Devos, G., & Tuytens, M. (2015). The Importance of Job Resources and Self-Efficacy for Beginning Teachers’ Professional Learning in Differentiated Instruction. Teaching and Teacher Education, 47, 30-41.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2014.12.003
[13]
DOE (2018). Conference Proceedings: The Two-Year Compulsory Kindergarten on the Road to Our Social Needs and Visions. IPEM DOE. (In Greek)
[14]
Doering, O. (2023). Soft Skills Development for Trust as the Next Frontier in the Construction of the Community with a Shared Future for Mankind. In L. Wang (Ed.), China’s Development and the Construction of the Community with a Shared Future for Mankind (pp. 237-243). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-7423-6_37
[15]
DuFour, R. (2004). What Is a Professional Learning Community? Educational Leadership, 61, 6-11.
https://www.siprep.org/uploaded/ProfessionalDevelopment/Readings/PLC.pdf
[16]
Eliophotou Menon, E. (2021). Transformational Leadership at Times of Crisis: The Case of School Leaders in Greece. European Journal of Educational Management, 4, 1-11.
https://doi.org/10.12973/eujem.4.1.1
[17]
Feldman, J. (2020). The Role of Professional Learning Communities to Support Teacher Development: A Social Practice Theory Perspective. South African Journal of Education, 40, 1-8. https://doi.org/10.15700/saje.v40n1a1668
[18]
Ferreira, C., Robertson, J., & Pitt, L. (2023). Business(un)usual: Critical Skills for the Next Normal. Thunderbird International Business Review, 65, 39-47.
https://doi.org/10.1002/tie.22276
[19]
Fotopoulou, V. S., & Ifanti, A. A. (2018). Pre-Primary Teachers’ Perceptions about Professionalism and Professional Development through the Lens of Transformative Learning: A Case Study in Greece. Global Studies of Childhood, 8, 184-194.
https://doi.org/10.1177/2043610617735005
[20]
Gray, J., Kruse, S., & Tarter, C. J. (2016). Enabling School Structures, Collegial Trust and Academic Emphasis: Antecedents of Professional Learning Communities. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 44, 875-891.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1741143215574505
[21]
Hairon, S., & Dimmock, C. (2012). Singapore Schools and Professional Learning Communities: Teacher Professional Development and School Leadership in an Asian Hierarchical System. Educational Review, 64, 405-424.
https://doi.org/10.1080/00131911.2011.625111
[22]
Hallinger, P., Wang, W. C., Chen, C. W., & Liare, D. (2015). Assessing Instructional Leadership with the Principal Instructional Management Rating Scale. Springer.
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-15533-3
[23]
Hauge, K. (2019). Teachers’ Collective Professional Development in School: A Review Study. Cogent Education, 6, Article ID: 1619223.
https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2019.1619223
[24]
Hofman, R. H., Hofman, W. H. A., & Gray, J. M. (2015). Three Conjectures about School Effectiveness: An Exploratory Study. Cogent Education, 2, Article ID: 1006977.
https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2015.1006977
[25]
Hord, S. M. (1997). Professional Learning Communities: Communities of Continuous Inquiry and Improvement. Southwest Educational Development Laboratory.
[26]
Hord, S. M. (2009). Professional Learning Communities: Educators Work Together towards a Shared Purpose. Journal of Staff Development, 30, 40-43.
https://learningforward.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/hord301.pdf
[27]
Hord, S. Μ. (2007). Developing a Staff of Learners. Southwest Educational Development Laboratory (SEDL) Letter, 19, 3-5.
https://sedl.org/pubs/sedl-letter/v19n01/SEDLLetter_v19n01.pdf
[28]
Huck, C., & Zhang, J. (2021). Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on K-12 Education: A Systematic Literature Review. New Waves-Educational Research and Development Journal, 24, 53-84. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1308731.pdf
[29]
Ifanti, A., & Fotopoulou, V. (2011). Teachers’ Perceptions of Professionalism and Professional Development: A Case Study in Greece. World Journal of Education, 1, 40-51.
https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1159038.pdf
https://doi.org/10.5430/wje.v1n1p40
[30]
Jones, C. M., & Thessin, R. A. (2015). A Review of the Literature Related to the Change Process Schools Undergo to Sustain PLCs. Planning & Changing, 46, 193-211.
[31]
Kennedy, A., Deuel, A., Nelson, T. H., & Slavit, D. (2011). Requiring Collaboration or Distributing Leadership. Phi Delta Kappan, 92, 20-24.
https://doi.org/10.1177/003172171109200805
[32]
Kitzoglou, K., & Anastasiadou, A. (2019). Analyzing the Needs of Private and State Sector Teachers of English Regarding Effective in-Service Training Programs. Scientific Educational Journal, 7, 8-28.
https://journal.educircle.gr/images/teuxos/2019/teuxos1/teyxos_7_1_1.pdf
[33]
Kools, M., & Stoll, L. (2016). What Makes a School a Learning Organisation? OECD Education Working Papers, 137. OECD Publishing.
[34]
Koulis, A. (2019). Job Satisfaction and Teachers’ Professional Development. Master’s Theis, University of Peloponese. (In Greek)
[35]
Koutouzis, M. (2012). Leadership Management -Effectiveness: Seeking Scope of Application in the Greek Educational System. In D. Karakatsani, & G. Papadiamantaki (Eds.), Contemporary Issues of Educational Policy (pp. 211-225). Epikentro. (In Greek)
[36]
Leclerc, M., Moreau, A., Dumouchel, C., & Sallafranque-St-Louis, F. (2012). Factors That Promote Progression in Schools Functioning as Professional Learning Community. International Journal of Education Policy and Leadership, 7, 1-14.
https://doi.org/10.22230/ijepl.2012v7n7a417
[37]
Lee, M., & Kim, J. (2016). The Emerging Landscape of School-Based Professional Learning Communities in South Korean Schools. Asia Pacific Journal of Education, 36, 266- 284. https://doi.org/10.1080/02188791.2016.1148854
[38]
Liakopoulou, M. (2014). The School Unit in the Centre of Professional Learning for Teachers. In Z. Papanaoum, & M. Liakopoulou (Eds.), Supporting Teachers’ Professional Development. (In Greek)
http://www.diapolis.auth.gr/epimorfotiko_uliko/index.php/2014-09-05-15-40-12/2014-09-05-15-45-43/82-odigos-liakopo?showall=1
[39]
Lomos, C. (2017). To What Extent Do Teachers in European Countries Differ in Their Professional Community Practices? School Effectiveness and School Improvement, 28, 276-291. https://doi.org/10.1080/09243453.2017.1279186
[40]
MacLeod, L. (2020). Shaping Professional Development of Educators: The Role of School Leaders. In M. A. White, & F. McCallum (Eds.), Critical Perspectives on Teaching, Learning and Leadership: Enhancing Educational Outcomes (pp. 189-217). Springer.
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-6667-7_10
[41]
Mahmoudi, F., & Ozkan, Y. (2015). Exploring Experienced and Novice Teachers’ Perceptions about Professional Development Activities. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 199, 57-64. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.07.487
[42]
Marcoulides, K. M., & Raykov, T. (2019). Evaluation of Variance Inflation Factors in Regression Models Using Latent Variable Modeling Methods. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 79, 874-882. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013164418817803
[43]
McEvily, B., Perrone, V., & Zaheer, A. (2003). Trust as an Organizing Principle. Organization Science, 14, 91-103. https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.14.1.91.12814
[44]
Meesuk, P., Wongrugsa, A., & Wangkaewhiran, T. (2021). Sustainable Teacher Professional Development through Professional Learning Community: PLC. Journal of Teacher Education for Sustainability, 23, 30-44. https://doi.org/10.2478/jtes-2021-0015
[45]
Mitchell, R. (2013). What Is Professional Development, How Does It Occur in Individuals, and How May It Be Used by Educational Leaders and Managers for the Purpose of School Improvement? Professional Development in Education, 39, 387-400.
https://doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2012.762721
[46]
Moosa, V., Salleh, S., & Hamid, L. (2022). Defining and Operationalizing Professional Learning Communities: What Does the Literature Say? Asia Pacific Journal of Education.
https://doi.org/10.1080/02188791.2022.2070907
[47]
Morrissey, M. S. (2000). Professional Learning Communities: An Ongoing Exploration. Southwest Educational Development Laboratory.
http://www.sedl.org/pubs/change45/plc-ongoing.pdf
[48]
Mystakidou, K., & Brinia, V. (2022). Transformational Leadership and Innovative Climate in the Administration of the School Unit: The Case of High Schools of Northern Domain of Athens-Ordinary and Model Schools. International Journal of Management in Education, 16, 554-568. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJMIE.2022.125486
[49]
Nguyen, D., Boeren, E., Maitra, S., & Cabus, S. (2023). A Review of the Empirical Research Literature on PLCs for Teachers in the Global South: Evidence, Implications, and Directions. Professional Development in Education.
https://doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2023.2238728
[50]
Novkovic, S. (2022). Cooperative Identity as a Yardstick for Transformative Change. Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics, 93, 313-336.
https://doi.org/10.1111/apce.12362
[51]
OECD (2010). Recognition of Non-Formal and Informal Learning.
http://www.oecd.org/education/skills-beyond-school/recognitionofnon-formalandinformallearning-home.htm
[52]
OECD (2016). School Leadership for Learning: Insights from TALIS 2013. OECD Publishing. https://www.oecd.org/publications/school-leadership-for-learning-9789264258341-en.htm
[53]
OECD (2017). Education Policy in Greece. A Preliminary Assessment.
https://www.oecd.org/education/educationpolicyingreeceapreliminaryassessment.htm
[54]
Olivier, D. F., & Hipp, K. K. (2010). Accessing and Analysing Schools as Professional Learning Communities. In K. K. Hipp, & J. B. Huffman (Eds.), Demystifying Professional Learning Communities: School Leadership at Its Best (pp. 29-42). Rowman & Littlefield.
[55]
Pang, N. S. K., & Wang, T. (2016). Professional Learning Communities: Research and Practices across Six Educational Systems in the Asia-Pacific Region. Asia Pacific Journal of Education, 36, 193-201. https://doi.org/10.1080/02188791.2016.1148848
[56]
Papadatou, E., & Alexopoulos, N. (2019). Cooperativeness in Primary Schools: An Exploratory Investigation of Teachers’ Attitudes and Perceptions in Greece. US-China Education Review A, 9, 203-217. https://doi.org/10.17265/2161-623X/2019.05.001
[57]
Patsatzaki, E., & Iordanidis, G. (2018). The Operation of Primary Schools as Professional Learning Communities. Education Sciences, 3, 7-27. (In Greek)
https://ejournals.lib.uoc.gr/edusci/article/view/297/234
[58]
Passias, G., Apostolopoulos, K., & Stiliaris, E. (2015). “Self-Evaluation” and “Peer Evaluation”: Processes of School Improvement and Its Transformation into a Professional Lear- ning Community. Erkyna-Review of Educational—Scientific Subjects, 7, 25-35. (In Greek)
https://erkyna.gr/e_docs/periodiko/teyxos/teyxos-7-%287_2015%29.pdf
[59]
Patton, K., Parker, M., & Tannehill, D. (2015). Helping Teachers Help Themselves: Professional Development That Makes a Difference. NASSP Bulletin, 99, 26-42.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0192636515576040
[60]
Pedder. D., & Darleen Opfer, V. (2013) Professional Learning Orientations: Patterns of Dissonance and Alignment between Teachers’ Values and Practices. Research Papers in Education, 28, 539-570. https://doi.org/10.1080/02671522.2012.706632
[61]
Postholm, M. B. (2012). Teachers’ Professional Development: A Theoretical Review. Educational Research, 54, 405-429. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131881.2012.734725
[62]
Postholm, M. B. (2018). Teachers’ Professional Development in School: A Review Study. Cogent Education, 5, Article ID: 1522781.
https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2018.1522781
[63]
Richter, D., Kunter, M., Klusmann, U., Lüdtke, O., & Baumert, J. (2014). Professional Development across the Teaching Career: Teachers’ Uptake of Formal and Informal Learning Opportunities. In S. Krolak-Schwerdt, S. Glock, & M. Bohmer (Eds.), Teachers’ Professional Development (pp. 97-121). Brill.
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-6209-536-6_7
[64]
Roy, P., & Hord, S. M. (2006). It’s Everywhere, But What Is It? Professional Learning Communities. Journal of School Leadership, 16, 490-504.
https://doi.org/10.1177/105268460601600503
[65]
Rutkowski, D., Rutkowski, L., Bélanger, J., Knoll, S., Weatherby, K., & Prusinski, E. (2013). Teaching and Learning. International Survey TALIS 2013: Conceptual Framework. OECD Publishing.
[66]
Saiti, A., & Saitis, C. (2023). Organization and Management of Education. Kata Gramma. (In Greek)
[67]
Sancar, R., Atal, D., & Deryakulu, D. (2021). A New Framework for Teachers’ Professional Development. Teaching and Teacher Education, 101, Article ID: 103305.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2021.103305
[68]
Sasaki, M. (2019). Introduction. In M. Sasaki (Ed.), Trust in Contemporary Society (pp. 1-8). Brill. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004390430_002
[69]
Schleicher, A. (2016). Teaching Excellence through Professional Learning and Policy Reform: Lessons from around the World. OECD Publishing.
https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264252059-en
[70]
Skoulidas, N., Arkoudea, M., & Alexopoulos, N. (2022). School Teachers’ Views towards the Effects of a Crisis on Conflicts: The Case of the Covid-19 Pandemic. European Journal of Education Studies, 9, 266-288. https://doi.org/10.46827/ejes.v9i8.4430
[71]
Sorkos, G., & Hajisoteriou, C. (2021). Sustainable Intercultural and Inclusive Education: Teachers’ Efforts on Promoting a Combining Paradigm. Pedagogy, Culture & Society, 29, 517-536. https://doi.org/10.1080/14681366.2020.1765193
[72]
Stoll, L., & Kools, M. (2017). The School as a Learning Organization: A Review Revisiting and Extending a Timely Concept. Journal of Professional Capital and Community, 2, 2-17. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPCC-09-2016-0022
[73]
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 Dilemmas (pp. 1-13). McGraw-Hill.
[74]
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.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10833-006-0001-8
[75]
Strogilos, V., & Tragoulia, E. (2013). Inclusive and Collaborative Practices in Co-Taught Classrooms: Roles and Responsibilities for Teachers and Parents. Teaching and Teacher Education, 35, 81-91. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2013.06.001
[76]
Tack, H., & Vanderlinde, R. (2014). Teacher Educators’ Professional Development: Towards a Typology of Teacher Educators’ Researcherly Disposition. British Journal of Educational Studies, 62, 297-315. https://doi.org/10.1080/00071005.2014.957639
[77]
Thornton, K., & Cherrington, S. (2019). Professional Learning Communities in Early Child- hood Education: A Vehicle for Professional Growth. Professional Development in Education, 45, 418-432. https://doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2018.1529609
[78]
Triandis, H. C. (2018). Individualism and Collectivism. Routledge.
https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429499845
[79]
Uhl-Bien, M., Maslyn, J., & Ospina, S. (2012) The Nature of Relational Leadership: A Multi Theoretical Len on Leadership Relationships and Processes. In D. V. Day, & J. Antonakis (Eds.) The Nature of Leadership (pp. 289-330). Sage.
[80]
van Maarseveen, R. (2021). The Urban-Rural Education Gap: Do Cities Indeed Make Us Smarter? Journal of Economic Geography, 21, 683-714.
https://doi.org/10.1093/jeg/lbaa033
[81]
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. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2007.01.004
[82]
Villegas-Reimers, E. (2003). Teacher Professional Development: An International Review of Literature. UNESCO/International Institute for Educational Planning.
[83]
Wenner, J. A., & Campbell, T. (2016). The Theoretical and Empirical Basis of Teacher Leadership: A Review of the Literature. Review of Educational Research, 87, 134-171.
https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654316653478
[84]
Yin, H., & Zheng, X. (2018). Facilitating Professional Learning Communities in China: Do Leadership Practices and Faculty Trust Matter? Teaching and Teacher Education, 76, 140-150. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2018.09.002
