The school–university intersection as a professional learning arena: evaluation of a two-year action research project

Abstract

This article presents the evaluation of a two-year action research project in biology and mathematics teaching involving a primary school and a university in Sweden. The aim of the study was to contribute knowledge about a school-university intersection as a professional learning arena. The teachers' conceptions about the project implementation, the impact on their learning, teaching practices and pupil learning were made explicit by focus group interview. The evaluation revealed that several motivating factors in this specific learning community -the relevance of the project and connection to the continuing education course, mentors from university, planning tools and time for collaboration -were critical for project implementation and for professional learning to occur. Furthermore, it indicated how teacher learning and teaching practices were related to pupil learning in the professional learning community. The results are also discussed in the light of new research on teachers' work identity and self-reported health.

Effectiveness of professional learning community programmes to improve school quality

“…These results are in line with the goal of PLC is to improve the quality of teachers which will have an impact on the learning process and student academic results. Improvements in school quality through the PLC programme can be seen in school activities that are more intensive in holding discussions and collaborative activities among teachers which have a significant effect on the quality of the learning process (Cheng & Pan, 2019;Hadianto et al, 2021b;Kellner & Attorps, 2020). Increased academic ability in the fields of language and mathematics may also be influenced by other factors, but this PLC has proven to be effective in changing learning patterns.…”

“…There are several previous studies that discuss the role of PLC in schools. PLC is proven to be effective in improving the learning process in the classroom because it provides critical, reflective and collaborative discussions between students (Hadianto et al, 2022;Kellner & Attorps, 2020). This component can improve the quality of the learning process and improve student competence in solving problems.…”

Exploring Language Learning Strategies of TESL Practicum Students Through a Phenomenological Lens for Enhancing Language Competency

“…Teaching fundamental presenting skills and providing opportunities for public speaking practice through reading English books, watching films, and engaging in communicative language education (Männistö et al, 2020;Rao, 2019) may enhance students' confidence and realworld communication skills (Charoensukmongkol, 2019;Cohen, 2014;Tom et al, 2013). Task-based language learning is a growing trend in communicative language teaching (Hien, 2021;Kartal et al, 2019;Kellner & Attorps, 2020;Takal & Ibrahim, 2019). According to Kashinathan and Abdul Aziz (2021), pre-university students should master presentation structure, starting and conclusion, and spoken and unspoken communication.…”

“…TESL students utilise various resources, such as books and films, to enhance learning experiences (Cohen, 2014;Pazilah et al, 2019). Contemporary methods like CLT and taskbased learning enhance English proficiency (Hien, 2021;Kartal et al, 2019;Kellner & Attorps, 2020;Takal & Ibrahim, 2019;Toro et al, 2019), and reduce speaking anxiety (Shang, 2021), thus improving presentation abilities (Charoensukmongkol, 2019;Tom et al, 2013). Nevertheless, TESL research predominantly focuses on instructional methods.…”

Budget Execution and Public Spending Quality in Regional Governments: A Systematic Literature Review

“…At the conclusion of this rigorous process, 60 primary studies were selected for qualitative and quantitative evaluation cited as [1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6], [7], [8], [9], [10], [11], [12], [13], [14], [15], [16], [17], [18], [19], [20], [21], [22], [23], [24], [25], [26], [27], [28], [29], [30], [31], [32], [33], [34], [35], [36], [37], [38], [39], [40], [41], [42], [43], [44], [45], [46], [47], [48], [49], …”