Effects of professional learning communities on teacher collaboration, feedback provision, job satisfaction and self-efficacy: Evidence from Korean PISA 2018 data

Multi-Level Analysis of Factors on Teacher Job Satisfaction Across Japan and South Korea: Evidence From TALIS 2018

“…Professional development barriers and team innovativeness were significantly linked to teacher job satisfaction for both Japan and South Korea, but needs for professional development was a significant predictor only for South Korea, which were all dissected among previous studies (e.g., Nir & Bogler, 2008;Song et al, 2018;Toropova et al, 2021;Yoo & Jang, 2022). In all probability the discrepant effects for career development found in the present study reflect the different professional training systems that Japan and South Korea employ.…”

“…In all probability the discrepant effects for career development found in the present study reflect the different professional training systems that Japan and South Korea employ. These signify a generally high quality of teacher education in Japan, whereas teachers working under unified patterns and bureaucratic systems are eager for efficient professional development in South Korea (An et al, 2021; Fujimura & Mistilina, 2020; Yoo & Jang, 2022). South Korean teachers are more likely to regard training as a precious opportunity to improve their professionalism, as it can bring increased self-confidence, self-efficacy, and job satisfaction (Nir & Bogler, 2008; Yoo & Jang, 2022).…”

“…These signify a generally high quality of teacher education in Japan, whereas teachers working under unified patterns and bureaucratic systems are eager for efficient professional development in South Korea (An et al, 2021; Fujimura & Mistilina, 2020; Yoo & Jang, 2022). South Korean teachers are more likely to regard training as a precious opportunity to improve their professionalism, as it can bring increased self-confidence, self-efficacy, and job satisfaction (Nir & Bogler, 2008; Yoo & Jang, 2022). In view of the various forms of professional development activities and the diverse needs of teachers, rationally targeted training measures are required rather than a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach.…”

“…Further, professional development barriers have received much attention from researchers. Yoo and Jang (2022) revealed that uniform learning projects are more likely to result in a lack of voice in the decision-making processes related to teachers' career plans, and bureaucratic strategies with top-down training programs impede the progress of high-quality professional development in South Korea. In addition, Japanese experience also suggested that deficient professional preparation is a potential problem in the accommodating of context-specific practices in teaching careers (Fujimura & Mistilina, 2020).…”

Teaching with collective resilience during COVID-19: Korean teachers and collaborative professionalism

“…For instance, the rotation system of human resources that requires school-level educators to change schools every four to six years within their local province offers opportunities for teachers to build solidarity beyond individual schools ( Park & Byun, 2015 ). District-level policies supporting financial and human resources for multiple forms of professional learning communities within and between schools further enable teachers to develop professional networks wherein collaborative inquiry collectively improves teaching practices ( National Center on Education and the Economy, 2021 ; Yoo, & Jang, 2022 ). Although individual experiences may cause controversy over such school policies ( Park & So, 2014 ), from the system perspective, the rotation policy and professional learning communities make possible functional and collective capacities for collaborative professionalism among teachers.…”