Asian Research Thesis Index

Abstract

This study aims to explore/observe the aspects of Professional Learning Community (PLC) in a public school of Gilgit-Baltistan as to how it is applied /exhibited in this particular context. The public school system generally follows a top-down hierarchical set-up in Pakistan. However, the school where I conducted this study was one of the schools which had undergone some changes and initiatives to make the teaching and learning environment more collaborative as part of a special change initiative taken by the government in 2009. The school was uniquely placed in the Tehsil or region with most of the required teaching and learning facilities. The school was planned to develop as a model school to replicate a collaborative teaching and learning environment to the surrounding educational institutions. The focused dimensions in the school change process were professional development, developing reflective practices and many more which were very similar to the aspects of PLC. This unique status of the school due to exceptional consideration by the government required the design of the study to be a qualitative case study. Observations, interviews and document analysis were employed as data collection methods. Purposive sampling was used to select research participants. The participants included headmaster, professional development teacher (PDT) and two teachers. The key findings of the study revealed that some aspects of PLC were more evident than others. The more evident aspects were shared decision making, collaborative learning, shared leadership, continuous professional development, teachers’ empowerment, trust and recognition. Reflective thinking and focus on student score were the less observed aspects of PLC in the school. Moreover, the findings disclosed some facilitating factors like supportive headmaster and availability of resources and some hindering factors such as small size of building and uncertainty of financial support for the sustainability of PLC.

Add/Update Thesis