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Teachers collaborative learning and school leaders support

Katalin Tóth-Pjeczka – Judit Szivák –Dóra Czirfusz – Nóra Rapos

28 August 2023

Project no. 128738 has been implemented with the support provided from the National Research, Development and Innovation Fund of Hungary, financed under the K_18 funding scheme.

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Significance of the topic

Teachers quality as the key to the quality of education (Barber-Mourshed, 2007; OECD, 2005)
Teachers continous development and learning as tool for teachers quality (Darling-Hammond et al., 2017; Caena, 2011; Hargreaves, A. 2000)
Teachers collaborative learning as an effective way of CPD (Bolam et al., 2005; Fullan, 2001)
School leaders as key to organisational development and teachers CPD within (Mulford, 2003; Geijsel et al, 2009)
School leaders as second most important influential factor for student achievement, indirect impact through teachers PD (Hallinger&Heck, 1998; Mulford, 2003; Leithwood, Luis et al, 2004; Day et al., 2009)
Collaborative learning within schools supported by school leaders (DuFour&Fullan, 2013; Hord&Sommers, 2008)

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Theoretical framework of teachers collaborative learning

Diversity of concepts and terminology:

Professional collaboration, teachers horizontal learning, network-based learning, community learning, professional learning community(PLC), community of practice (OECD, 2009; 2020; Vangrieken, K. - Dochy, F - Reas, E. & Kyndt, E., 2015; Bolam, R. - McMoahon, A. - Stoll, L. -Thomas, S. & Wallace, M., 2005)

Intersection of concepts: interactions of actors in education with professional learning result
Effective segment of teachers professional development and learning (CPDL) – component of quality assurance in aducation (OECD, 2005; 2009)

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MoTeL research

Part of the MoTeL (Models of Teachers Learning) mixed method research
Aims to explore the systemic, organisational, and individual factors of teachers’ CPDL
Nationwide, representative survey
The online questionnaire survey

was conducted between

October 2020 and February 2021.

Project no. 128738 has been implemented with the support provided from the National Research, Development and Innovation Fund of Hungary, financed under the K_18 funding scheme.

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Our research methodology

Research questions:

What are the characteristics of teachers’ collaborative learning?

What factors shows correlations to collaborative learning in personal and organisational and systemic level?

Quantitative study –analysis of the national database
Sample

5063 persons from 656 workplace

The respondent teachers: - between 21 and 71 years old,

- between 1 and 50 years of work

experience

Statistical calculation in SPSS

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Characteristics of teachers collaborative learning

Of the sample of 5,063

7.8% (396) were head teachers,

10.0% (506) were deputy head teachers and

82.2% were non-head teachers (4,161)

Composite variable (CL)
No correlation between CL and the age and work experience of the teacher, they do not play a role in the development of collaborative learning.

To answer our research questions, we have created a composite variable.

First, we could see that as there is no correlation between CL and the age and work experience of the teacher, they do not play a role in the development of collaborative learning.

*CL built up of the following activity components: At my own request, my colleagues attended my lessons and gave me feedback; I organised inter-subject or inter-grade project work; I participated in professional conferences, exhibitions, meetings; I discussed my professional questions with others in order to learn from them; I attended class visits to learn from my colleagues (inside or outside school); I shared my learning experiences and new teaching ideas with colleagues; I co-taught some lessons with a colleague (co- teaching); I mentored and helped a new teacher, a new colleague or a teacher candidate (trainee); I received personal mentoring for my work in the classroom.

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Teachers’ views on learning

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If the learning situation...	Spearman- rho	Sig. (2- tailed)	N
...builds on the participants' prior knowledge.	,153	0,000	712
...adapts to personal development needs.	,179	0,000	714
...coherent structure.	,163	0,000	706
...focus on the content needed to teach the subjects	,097	0,000	712
...an opportunity for active learning	,170	0,000	709
...is based on cooperation.	,222	0,000	709
...provides an opportunity to practice/apply new ideas and knowledge in my own teaching.	,197	0,000	713
...also provides after-sales support.	,151	0,000	711
...in my own school.	,200	0,000	701
... the majority of teachers in the school participate.	,234	0,000	711
...extended over time (e.g. over several weeks or even longer).	,263	0,000	704

School Leaders’

views on learning

Table 2 Collaborative learning and school leaders’s views on learning

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Views on learning

Teachers’ views on learning

Provide support after
Extended time
Provide opportunity to active learning

Leaders’ views on learning

Extended over time
Majority of teachers participate
Based on cooperation
In my own school

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Organisational factors �supporting teachers learning

Dimensions of learning organisations
Creating opportunities for continous learning
Promoting curiousity and dialogue
Encouraging collaboration and group learning
Setting up systems to capture and share learning
Empowering staff to achieve the collective vision
Connecting the organisation to external environment
Providing strategic leadership to support learning

Marsick & Watkins, 2003

However, a teacher operating in a personal system of beliefs and motivational networks is also subject to the influence of the processes taking place in a wider system, the system of the organisation, and cannot be completely independent of them.

Among the main components of an organisational culture that encourages teachers' learning, trust, shared decision-making, common goals and values, the creation of a school climate in which cooperation is one of the key components is recommended, as discussed in the literature analysing the functioning of learning organisations.

Using Spearman correlation to examine this sub-question of our research, we found that teachers' collaborative learning is significantly (weakly) correlated with each of the learning organization components. (There were 21 items measuring these dimensions).

The second strongest correlation is with the institution's provision of mentoring (r=0.259) which belong to the dimensions of Providing strategic leadership to support learning This is preceded by a single factor: the institution measures the return on time and resources spent on staff learning (r=0.268). (Dimension: Setting up systems to capture and share learning)

There is also a nearly similar strength of correlation with the institution's support for rational risk-taking (r=0.242) and for reviewing its operations as a result of joint discussions and information gathering (r=0.240).

The institution supports staff to look beyond the organisation to find solutions to problems (r=0.249) belongs to the dimension of connecting the organisation to external environment, thus network-based learning is an important factor in relation with collaborative learning.

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Network-based learning

Spearman correlation: the association of non-participants in programs with collaborative learning showed a significant negative relationship.

The nature of the programme is a determinant of whether or not an organisation's participation in a programme also pays off in terms of teachers' CL.

Hypothesis: links abroad would intensify CL among teachers.

This assumption was confirmed. In schools that have a sister school abroad (Mean=3.23, Standard deviation=0.72), teachers' collaborative learning is more intense (t(4082)=7.845 p=0.000) than in schools that do not have such a relationship (Mean=3.10 Standard deviation=0.66).

In many cases, teachers' collaborative learning does not stay within the walls of the organisation. Connecting to the world outside the school, in the form of organisational learning (networking amongst organisations) and network-based learning of teachers, is an important building block of the CPDL system, both at individual and organisational level.

Our statistical calculations using Spearman correlation confirmed the part of our hypothesis that the association of non-participants in programs with collaborative learning showed a significant negative relationship (r=-0.089). (Separately, we also obtained similar rates when filtering for the leaders subsample.)

We couldn’t find positive correlation with all the programs – so we concluded that school participation in improvement programmes does not automatically imply an increase in teachers' collaborative learning. The nature of the programme is a determinant of whether or not an organisation's participation in a programme also pays off in terms of teachers' CL.

(1.School development programmes with an educational objective are also part of the system of external links, enriching professional contacts beyond the school walls. These innovative programmes, whether through specific methodological development, a change of approach or a horizontal aspect of school life, can have an impact on the CPDL of teachers, on the whole school organisation in the form of organisational learning and, through this, on the personal level of teachers.)

2.We hypothesised that, as with domestic networking, links abroad would intensify CL among teachers. This assumption was confirmed by t-test. In schools that have a sister school abroad (Mean=3.23, Standard deviation=0.72), teachers' collaborative learning is more intense (t(4082)=7.845 p=0.000) than in schools that do not have such a relationship (Mean=3.10 Standard deviation=0.66).

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Discussion

No correlation between CPDL and the age and work experience of the teacher, they do not play a role in the development of collaborative learning.
Leaders are more active in collaborative learning than non-leaders
School leaders and teachers view and beliefs on learning
Learning organisation supporting TCL
Network learning as part of TCL
Teachers practising TCL percieving more competence in collaboration and in teaching transversal competences

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References

Bolam, R. - McMoahon, A. - Stoll, L. -Thomas, S. & Wallace, M. (2005). Creating and sustaining professional learning communities. University of Bristol, http://dera.ioe.ac.uk/5622/1/RR637.pdf
Cordingley, P. (2015). The contribution of research to teachers' professional learning and development. Oxford Review of Education, 41(2), 234-252. doi: 10.1080/03054985.2015.1020105
DeVries, S., Grift, W., & Jansen, E. P. W. A. (2013). Teachers' beliefs and continuing professional development. Journal of Educational Administration, 51(2), 10.1108/09578231311304715 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/263157876_Teachers%27_beliefs_and_continuing professional_development
Daly, A. J., - Moolenaar, N. M. - Bolivar, J. M., & Burke, P. (2010). Teachers' social networks. Journal of Educational Administration,48, 359-391.
Gaikhorst, L. - March, V. - du Pré, R. & Geijsel, F. (2019). Professional Development: School Principals' Beliefs and Practices. European Journal of Education. doi.org/10.1111/ejed.12366
Marsick, V. J., & Watkins, K. E. (2003). Demonstrating the Value of an Organization's Learning Culture: The Dimensions of the Learning Organization Questionnaire. Advances in Developing Human Resources, 5, 132-151.
OECD (2005). Teachers Matter: Attracting, Developing and Retaining, Paris, OECD Publishing. https://www.oecd.org/education/school/34990905.pdf
OECD (2009). Creating effective teaching and learning environments. First results from TALIS, 2009. http://www.oecd.org/education/school/43023606.pdf
Vangrieken, K. - Dochy, F - Reas, E. - Kyndt, E. (2015). Teacher collaboration. A literature review. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1747938X1500024X

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Thank you for your attention!

”The conference participation was subsidised by the Talent Support Council of ELTE

Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest”

ppk.elte.hu