Departmental PLCs in secondary schools: the importance of transformational leadership, teacher autonomy, and teachers’ self-efficacy

ABSTRACT

Professional learning communities (PLCs) are considered ideal contexts for teachers’ professional development and school improvement. Therefore, it is necessary to explore the interplay between PLC characteristics (i.e. collective responsibility, reflective dialogue, and deprivatized practice) in secondary school departments, and understand what variables (i.e. transformational leadership by the principal, teacher autonomy, and teachers’ self-efficacy) stimulate these PLC characteristics. Data was collected from 324 Mathematics, French, and General Studies teachers in 80 departments of 33 Flemish secondary schools. The results of a path analysis show that teachers’ collective responsibility and self-efficacy are positively related to their reflective dialogue. Furthermore, the relationship between transformational leadership by the principal and reflective dialogue is fully mediated by collective responsibility. Finally, the relationship between teacher autonomy and reflective dialogue is fully mediated by teachers’ self-efficacy.

KEYWORDS:

• Departments
• professional learning communities (PLCs)
• transformational leadership
• teacher autonomy
• teachers’ self-efficacy

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. General Studies [Project Algemene Vakken = PAV] is a transdisciplinary subject taught in vocational secondary education that uses an integrated approach to learning contents, such as mother tongue/linguistics, mathematics, communication and organisational skills, and social studies.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Jasja Valckx

Jasja Valckx is a PhD student at the Department of Educational Studies, Ghent University, Belgium. Her research focuses on teachers’ beliefs and professional development, and departmental professional learning communities in secondary schools.

R. Vanderlinde

R. Vanderlinde is a professor at the Department of Educational Studies, Ghent University, Belgium. His current research areas include teacher training and professionalisation, educational innovation and the integration of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in education.

G. Devos

G. Devos is a professor at the Department of Educational Studies, Ghent University Belgium. His main research interests are educational administration, school leadership, school development and educational policy.