Guidelines for Being Professional Learning Community in Schools under Nakhon Phanom Primary Educational Service Area Office 1

Abstract

The objectives of this research were: 1) to examine the current situation of Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) in schools, and 2) to study guidelines for being Professional Learning Communities in schools. A mixed-methods research approach was employed. The sample consisted of 39 school administrators and 297 teachers, totaling 336 participants from 249 schools under the Nakhon Phanom Primary Educational Service Area Office 1. The sample size was determined using stratified sampling. The research instruments included a five-point rating scale questionnaire and a semi-structured interview. Quantitative data were analyzed using frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, median, and interquartile range, while qualitative data were analyzed through content analysis.
The research findings revealed that:
1. The overall level of being Professional Learning Communities in schools, as well as in each aspect, was at a high level ( = 4.38, S.D. = 0.56). The aspect of professional learning and development recorded the highest mean score ( = 4.40, S.D. = 0.57), followed by shared vision ( = 4.39, S.D. = 0.57), caring community ( = 4.38, S.D. = 0.59), shared leadership ( = 4.38, S.D. = 0.58), supportive community structure ( = 4.37, S.D. = 0.59), and collaborative teamwork ( = 4.36, S.D. = 0.59).
2. The guidelines for being Professional Learning Communities in schools consisted of six key components, ranked from the lowest to the highest mean as follows: 1) shared vision, 2) collaborative teamwork, 3) professional learning and development, 4) caring community, 5) supportive community structure, and 6) shared leadership. These guidelines were found to be appropriate and can be effectively applied to strengthen and enhance Professional Learning Communities in schools.