Date of Award

4-27-2023

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Educational Leadership

First Advisor

William Kerns

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) have on the measure of collective efficacy and feeling of self-efficacy of teachers. The study sample consisted of 58 teachers from seven elementary and one middle school. All schools included in the study were considered PLC Model Schools as defined by Solution Tree. Semi?structured interviews were conducted with the school principals at each school included in the study. Teachers completed the Teacher Sense of Efficacy Scale – Short Form (Tschannen-Moran & Woolfolk Hoy, 2001), the Collective Teacher Efficacy Scale – Short Form (Goddard, 2002), and answered five open-ended questions related to classroom instruction, student engagement, and classroom management. Research findings indicated that number of years spent in the PLC process did have a positive effect on self-efficacy. Also, teachers who had been teaching longer also had higher levels of self-efficacy. Collective efficacy in instructional strategies was more impacted by participation in PLCs than collective efficacy in classroom management, but there was no clear indication that collective efficacy was significantly increased due to involvement in PLCs or due to years of teaching experience.

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Education Commons

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