The Factors Promoting Membership of Teacher's Professional Learning Communities in Educational Institutions under the Secondary Educational Service Area Office Bangkok 2

Abstract

This research aimed to 1) examine the relationship between groups of external and internal variables that promote teachers’ professional learning community (PLC) membership in educational institutions under the Office of the Secondary Education Service Area 2, Bangkok, and 2) analyze how external and internal factors explain teachers’ PLC membership using these variable groups. The sample consisted of 99 teachers under the Office of the Secondary Education Service Area 2, Bangkok. Data were collected using a 6-level rating scale ranging from "most true" to "not true at all," with discriminating power (r-Item Total Correlation) ranging from .290 to .797 and a reliability score by Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of .959. Data analysis employed basic and inferential statistics for hypothesis testing. The results showed that the relationship between the four variable factors was mostly moderate (r = .429 to .717, P<.01), and the relationship between these variables and teachers' PLC membership was moderate to high (r = .603 to .756, P<.01). Predictive analysis revealed that internal factors, specifically knowledge and understanding of member roles (X₁) and attitudes toward professional learning communities (X₂), explained 64% of teachers' PLC membership. When external factors, such as administrators' perception of academic leadership (X₃) and support from colleagues (X₄), were added, the explanatory power increased to 68.5%, representing a 4.5% improvement over internal factors alone.