A rose by any other name would smell as sweet: Professional Learning Communities in Chinese Senior Secondary Schools

This paper presents findings from a UK DfID/ESRC funded project “Improving Teacher Development and Educational Quality in China” which links to the UKFIET conference sub-themes of values, assessment and use of evidence in... [ view full abstract ]

This paper presents findings from a UK DfID/ESRC funded project “Improving Teacher Development and Educational Quality in China” which links to the UKFIET conference sub-themes of values, assessment and use of evidence in education. The research investigates the existence and relevance of professional learning communities (PLCs) to promote student outcomes and teacher development in Chinese senior secondary schools. Both quantitative and qualitative data has been analysed including interviews and focus groups with 90+ stakeholders and a survey of 17,000+ teachers in three regions. Evidence is presented from four detailed case study schools, selected on the basis of “value added effectiveness” and rural/urban location. The ways in which PLCs are evaluated and supported in Chinese schools are also analysed and discussed. The findings indicate that the “western” PLC concept is seen as highly relevant by stakeholders but needs to be adapted and sustainable for the Chinese and local contexts. The issue of context specificity was also reiterated by the Ministry of Education and Training in Zanzibar who as project partners participated in PLC workshops to discuss PLC sustainability issues and implications of the findings in Zanzibar. Overall, the project seeks to provide quality data to enhance understanding of teacher development and learning and how these aspects relate to school effectiveness and improvement in China. The findings are discussed in terms of educational policy and practice in mainland China and internationally, focusing on the processes of learning, teaching and school improvement in different contexts, and implications for the post 2015 education agenda.