Campus Location
Dallas Campus (Online)
Date of Award
12-2023
Document Type
Dissertation
Department
Organizational Leadership
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Committee Chair or Primary Advisor
John Kellmayer
Second Committee Member or Secondary Advisor
Timothy B. Jones
Third Committee Member or Committee Reader
Scott Bailey
Abstract
The purpose of conducting this qualitative descriptive study on professional learning communities in a South Texas public school district was to see if they are meaningful and structured to support the improvement of student success in the classroom as well as providing the support and steps outlined in an effective professional learning community. The study focused on the skill level implemented by the teachers, administrators, and other members of the committee to communicate, access the personal skills to collaborate with peers, and utilize the data for student achievement. This study sought to gain and understand the perceptions of department heads, administrators, and educators of how professional learning communities’ elements, characteristics, and three big ideas that guide a team when collaborating in a large district. Qualitative data were from 12 staff members of a large district in South Texas comprised of Hispanic administrators, Hispanic department heads, and Hispanic core subject coordinators. Open-ended interviews composed of 19 questions assemble the data. The findings of this study confirmed the perceptions in which participants felt supported and prepared for how professional learning communities supported the improvement of student success in the classroom. It also indicated where they felt a lack of support during how professional learning communities, improvement, and discussion is needed to achieve a desirable outcome. The results of this study balance other past research on the importance of how professional learning communities improve students’ scores and success. Keywords: professional learning community, collaboration, continuous improvement, student achievement, student learning
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Saenz, Corina C., "A Qualitative Descriptive Study of Teacher and Administrator Perceptions of Professional Learning Communities in a Texas School District With a Predominance of Hispanic Staff and Students" (2023). Digital Commons @ ACU, Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 732.
https://digitalcommons.acu.edu/etd/732