Exploring the relationships among instructional leadership, professional learning communities and teacher self-efficacy in China

Abstract

The study explored the relationships among instructional leadership, professional learning community components, and teacher self-efficacy in the context of mainland China. Study subjects were 1082 elementary school teachers participating in a questionnaire survey. The results showed that instructional leadership had significant effects on the five professional learning community components, four of which, collaborative activity, collective focus on student learning, de-privatized practice, and reflective dialogue, positively predicted teacher self-efficacy. Analysis showed that collaborative activity, de-privatized practice, and reflective dialogue significantly mediated the effects of instructional leadership on teacher self-efficacy. Implications for school leadership and teacher learning are discussed.

Principal Instructional Leadership, Teacher Self-Efficacy, and Teacher Professional Learning in China: Testing a Mediated-Effects Model

“…One of the most significant paths to emerge from this substantial body of empirical research connects school leadership and the professional learning of teachers (Leithwood, 1992;Leithwood et al, 2010;Printy, 2008;Li, Hallinger, & Walker, 2016;Liu, Hallinger, & Feng, 2016;Robinson, 2006). Empirical evidence increasingly suggests that leadership which motivates, supports, and sustains the professional learning of teachers has a knock-on effect on teaching quality, student learning, and school improvement (Dinham, 2007;Hallinger, Liu, & Piyaman, 2017;Qian & Walker, 2013;Scribner, 1999;Smylie & Hart, 1999;Zheng, Yin, & Li, 2018). Consequently, in recent years, scholars have stepped up efforts to illuminate the nature of this path in both Western (Geijsel, Sleegers, Stoel, & Krüger, 2009;Printy, 2008;Thoonen, Sleegers, Oort, & Peetsma, 2012) and Eastern societies (Hairon & Dimmock, 2012;Hallinger, Lee, & Ko, 2014;Li et al, 2016;Liu et al, 2016;Qian & Walker, 2013;Qian, Walker, & Yang, 2016;Tran, Hallinger, & Truong, 2018;Zheng et al, 2018).…”

Teacher Self-Efficacy and Individual Academic Optimism as Predictors of Teacher Professional Learning: A Structural Equation Modeling

“…Öğretmen öz-yeterliğinin öğretimin etkililiği, öğrenci motivasyonu ve başarısı ve okul gelişimi üzerinde etkili olduğuna dair kanıtlar bulunmaktadır (Ashton, 1985;Liu ve Hallinger, 2018; Tschannen-Moran ve Wolfolk Hoy, 2001;Wheatley, 2002;Zheng, Yin ve Li, 2018). Araştırma bulguları, öz yeterlik inancı güçlü öğretmenlerin öğretim uygulamalarında daha iyimser, yeni fikirlere açık, farklı ve etkili öğretim metotlarını deneme konusunda daha cesaretli ve istekli olduklarını göstermektedir (Guskey, 1988).…”

Relationship between Conflict Management Styles and Job Satisfaction of Private Islamic Secondary School Teachers

“…Teachers give a big impact toward many parties. In school setting, public or private sector, higher student achievement was related to the great role of the teacher (Benerjee et al, 2017;Khun-Inkeeree, Omar-Fauzee, & Othman, 2017) and study from Bolam, McMahon, Stoll, Thomas and Wallace (2005) believe having a strong professional community also give impact to it and this had been agree by study from Zheng, Yin and Li (2018). So, to retain teachers and decrease turnover become a concern among school leaders.…”