A study of Professional Learning Communities in International Schools in Bangkok, Thailand.

University of Minnesota Ed.D. dissertation. February 2011. Major: Educational Policy and Administration. Advisor: Dr. Neal C. Nickerson. 1 computer file (PDF); xi, 183 p. appendices A-J.Teacher collaboration and professional development are crucial components to any school improvement process. In an international school context differences among teachers emerging from culture, language, training, and environment can present a unique view of how teachers collaborate and learn together. The purpose of the study was to determine school administrators’ and teachers’ perceptions of the maturity level of Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) in selected Thai International Schools. The school staff identified this perception of maturity when they completed the PLC Questionnaire (SPSaLCQ). Research questions included those exploring teacher and administrator perception of PLC as well as comparing perceptions of both groups against teacher experience, gender, number of years as a teacher and school age level they taught. The research study included a mixed method approach used to assess perceptions and to gain deeper understanding of school situations from English-speaking international schools located in Bangkok, Thailand. This study consisted of an electronic, web-based survey and in-person structured interviews. There were a total of 55 schools surveyed. All participants were teachers or administrators at international schools located in Bangkok. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the responses and determine how the data were formed by different subgroups of the sample. The survey data helped to inform the researcher about the interviews and process. All the analyses were calculated using SSPS. The research findings indicated that schools could be assessed to measure their maturity as a PLC. Three major findings from the analysis indicated that administrators typically assessed a higher level of maturity than did staff, staff perceived it was administrative structure in place by policy that helped determine implementation of a PLC, and perceptions of PLC maturity do vary according to demographic variables