TEACHER PERCEPTIONS REGARDING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES AT THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL LEVEL

The purpose of this study was to describe elementary school teachers’ perceptions of Professional Learning Communities and how they believed participation in a PLC impacts their professional development and classroom instruction. This study utilized organizational theory as a framework in order to better understand how changes in an organizational structure – the implementation of Professional Learning Communities – might influence elementary teachers’ perspectives on collaboration, instruction, and professional development. This learning theory provided a lens through which to view and understand how schools change as teachers add to their pedagogical knowledge during a school improvement process (Scribner et al., 1999). The case study participants were six teachers from different elementary schools in Richview County. Four were primary grade teachers, and two were upper elementary school teachers who had a range of teaching experience. The findings in this study afforded a detailed picture of the six teachers’ perceptions regarding the role of the Professional Learning Community in their daily teaching, instructional planning, and professional development. Patterns in the teachers’ beliefs about the Professional Learning Community model were also exposed. The in-depth details and patterns revealed in this study provided a deeper understanding of how teachers’ beliefs and actions related to collaboration and teaming impact instruction in their classrooms and the school climate