Uncovering the complex relationships among distributed leadership, departmental teacher leadership, and professional learning community in Chinese schools

AbstractProfessional learning community (PLC) has been widely recognized as an effective approach for promoting both student learning and teacher development. Existing research on PLC mainly focuses on the school‐level, and less attention has been given to the departmental‐level PLC. Given the compl...

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Main Authors: Xin Zheng, Chenxi Jiang, Chenlu Liu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2023-12-01
Series:Future in Educational Research
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1002/fer3.15
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author Xin Zheng
Chenxi Jiang
Chenlu Liu
author_facet Xin Zheng
Chenxi Jiang
Chenlu Liu
author_sort Xin Zheng
collection DOAJ
description AbstractProfessional learning community (PLC) has been widely recognized as an effective approach for promoting both student learning and teacher development. Existing research on PLC mainly focuses on the school‐level, and less attention has been given to the departmental‐level PLC. Given the complex nature of school structures, departmental PLC may be influenced by multiple leadership factors, including principal and teacher leadership (TL). This study investigates how the distributed leadership (DL) of principals and TL influence departmental PLC and individual teacher self‐efficacy. Drawing on a sample of 602 teachers in China, the results showed that TL had a direct impact on teacher self‐efficacy and had an indirect effect through PLC. Additionally, the DL of principals indirectly affects individual teachers through TL and PLC. The results indicate the complex leadership structure in schools with various levels of leadership exerting distinct influences on teachers and departments. It highlights the roles of principal leadership and TL in facilitating PLC and teacher development. Implications for school leadership and PLC development are discussed.
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spelling doaj-art-5be5ec74cd844c7598b92f42aa00fd622025-02-06T15:35:28ZengWileyFuture in Educational Research2835-94022023-12-011218219710.1002/fer3.15Uncovering the complex relationships among distributed leadership, departmental teacher leadership, and professional learning community in Chinese schoolsXin Zheng0Chenxi Jiang1Chenlu Liu2Faculty of EducationSouthwest UniversityChongqingChinaFaculty of EducationSouthwest UniversityChongqingChinaCenter for Studies of Education and Psychology of Ethnic Minorities in Southwest ChinaSouthwest UniversityChongqingChinaAbstractProfessional learning community (PLC) has been widely recognized as an effective approach for promoting both student learning and teacher development. Existing research on PLC mainly focuses on the school‐level, and less attention has been given to the departmental‐level PLC. Given the complex nature of school structures, departmental PLC may be influenced by multiple leadership factors, including principal and teacher leadership (TL). This study investigates how the distributed leadership (DL) of principals and TL influence departmental PLC and individual teacher self‐efficacy. Drawing on a sample of 602 teachers in China, the results showed that TL had a direct impact on teacher self‐efficacy and had an indirect effect through PLC. Additionally, the DL of principals indirectly affects individual teachers through TL and PLC. The results indicate the complex leadership structure in schools with various levels of leadership exerting distinct influences on teachers and departments. It highlights the roles of principal leadership and TL in facilitating PLC and teacher development. Implications for school leadership and PLC development are discussed.https://doi.org/10.1002/fer3.15distributed leadershipprofessional learning communityself‐efficacyteacher leadership
spellingShingle Xin Zheng
Chenxi Jiang
Chenlu Liu
Uncovering the complex relationships among distributed leadership, departmental teacher leadership, and professional learning community in Chinese schools
Future in Educational Research
distributed leadership
professional learning community
self‐efficacy
teacher leadership
title Uncovering the complex relationships among distributed leadership, departmental teacher leadership, and professional learning community in Chinese schools
title_full Uncovering the complex relationships among distributed leadership, departmental teacher leadership, and professional learning community in Chinese schools
title_fullStr Uncovering the complex relationships among distributed leadership, departmental teacher leadership, and professional learning community in Chinese schools
title_full_unstemmed Uncovering the complex relationships among distributed leadership, departmental teacher leadership, and professional learning community in Chinese schools
title_short Uncovering the complex relationships among distributed leadership, departmental teacher leadership, and professional learning community in Chinese schools
title_sort uncovering the complex relationships among distributed leadership departmental teacher leadership and professional learning community in chinese schools
topic distributed leadership
professional learning community
self‐efficacy
teacher leadership
url https://doi.org/10.1002/fer3.15
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AT chenluliu uncoveringthecomplexrelationshipsamongdistributedleadershipdepartmentalteacherleadershipandprofessionallearningcommunityinchineseschools